Arrivals Showband
Story (1965-1971 & in the 1980's part-time)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
Editor's note: Every care
has been taken to present only factual information in our stories
based on first person reports, newspaper articles and photographic
archives. If you can add anything or correct info in this story,
please email us and let us know.
While the majority of major bands during the
showband came out of Dublin and Belfast, Ireland's third largest
city, Cork, also produced many fine bands. Of course,
The Dixies were Cork's most famous
export, but The Regal Showband (based in Bantry) was another band that did very
well in the early days of the showband era.
In 1965, The Regal had a huge hit with I
Need You sung by Declan Ryan. Despite the single's success (it
reached number six on the Irish charts), the band would soon shock the
entertainment scene when they announced that four members were
leaving to form a new band. Originally to be called Declan Ryan and
the Regalman, they finally settled on the Arrivals Showband and made
their debut at the beginning of December, 1965.
The defectors were Declan Ryan
(vocals), Des McAlea (sax-a.k.a Des Lee), Mick Aherne (guitar) and Benno Haussmann (drums)
and they were the subject of a
major marketing campaign headed up by their first manager Murt Lucey
who with his brother at that time owned two of the most successful
ballrooms in Co. Cork. To complete the
new band, they recruited Mick's brother, Will Aherne on bass, Tony
Neenan (trumpet) and Billy Curtin (sax). Billy had previously been
playing with the Swingtime Aces.
The band went on the road in late 1965
and an advert in the paper announced they were booking
dates after November 28th, 1965.
I have included a clipping below from February
1966 when bassist Will Aherne was kicked in the face by a dancer
only to show that violence was a regular (and apparently accepted)
side effect of drinking and dancing across Ireland. Fights in
dancehalls were a pretty regular occurrence back then, although
usually the band (up on stage) were not normally involved.
In July, 1966, they released their first
single, "My Wishful Dreaming" which was written by Gay McKeown, the
same man who wrote "Hucklebuck Shoes" (not
the "Hucklebuck") for Brendan Bowyer.
In January, 1967, the band went on its first
tour of the United States, playing mostly in the New York area, but
also going on to Chicago and Toronto.
Late summer, 1967 would be a hectic period in
the band's history. To start in late August, Declan Ryan left the
band. The band moved Des Lee over the the lead vocals spot and added
Gordon Hanley, also formerly with the Regal
Showband, to the ranks, remaining a seven piece band.
On September 2nd, 1967, the band was playing in
the Majorca Ballroom, arriving early to rehearse and were filmed by
RTE television for a "Newsbeat" segment about how difficult it was
for bands to make money and the program reported that the average
wage at the time was about £30 a week
(also some of the biggest bands musicians could make as much as
£200 a week). Photos from the RTE
programme are below. The programme would be aired October 10th.
On the same day as the RTE show was being
filmed, papers reported on the mystery split in the Miami showband
in which Murty Quinn, along with Dennis Murray, Martin Phelan and
Tommy O'Rourke split away to form the Sands Showband. Also on the
same day, Miami manager, Tom Doherty reported that three musicians
had been hired, but their identities could not be revealed as
"they had to give notice to their own
bands."
On September 12th, Tom Doherty reported that
one of the new "£3,000
a year men" in the band (roughly £60 a week)
would be Des Lee of the Arrivals. The sudden departure of Des, left
the band scrambling to find a new lead singer which they did near
the end of the month, announcing on the 30th that 22-year-old Kevin
Kane from Cork (who they reported had just earned a science degree
from U.C.C), would be the new front man. Consequently on the day the
newsbeat story about the band aired on October 10th, they already
had a different singer.
Kevin was from a very
successful semi-pro Cork band called The Vards. Around
this time, Nicky Kirwan replaced Benno as drummer. Kevin was introduced
to the dancing public through an advert in Spotlight's Sept 28th
edition as the "Great New Voice of '67."
The band released a single featuring Kevin
immediately called "Thanks To Love"
with "Fool No One" on the B-side. It
would not make the charts but did introduce the new singer to their
fans around the country.
In March, 1968, it was reported in the
Kerryman newspaper that the band had a new manager.
In June 1968, Declan Ryan would rejoin the Regal
and in November the band released it second single with Kevin Kane,
"Sadie the Cleaning Lady" which also failed to make the charts. In
the story which accompanied news of the release, it was reported
that Billy Curtin had been out of action for several months due to a
broken leg, but was returning shortly to the bandstand.
In 1969, Kevin left the band and formed a local group in Cork
City. Also in 1969, it appears Billy Curtin had left the band to
become lead singer with the Squires Showband from Tralee. We don't
know who replaced him.
In early 1969, it appears the Arrivals signed Jimmy
Fanning who had featured as lead vocalist on a first time major hit
for an Irish beat group – The Stranger's version of Look
Out, Here Comes Tomorrow. However, after a few gigs, Jimmy (from
Balbriggan, Co.
Dublin) soon felt working with a Cork based band was not going to
work for him so he left after a few dates, leaving the band without
a lead singer again.
It was then that the band
looked to their own and Will Aherne, Mick’s brother became the lead
vocalist. Later that year, the band released two very impressive
singles. Unfortunately, despite their best attempts, the band still
couldn't crack the national ballroom circuit like they wanted and
finally broke up in 1970.
But the story of the Arrivals
was not over. About a year later, the boys decided to reform, but on
a part time basis only. They enjoyed tremendous success on the local
scene, which they put down to the lessons they had learned from
their first time around. The band lasted a number of years but
gradually with members moving on, etc., as far as we can tell from
newspaper adverts, the Arrivals continued well in the 1980's. The
last advert we have found was for the "New Arrivals" playing in
Castletownbere in 1988.
click on thumbnails
for full image
