by Eric FitzGerald
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THE RTE documentary ‘John Sheahan – A Dubliner’ was screened in 2013. The programme was an elegant piece directed by Maurice Sweeney, a lovingly crafted portrait of fiddle player John Sheahan who was an integral part of The Dubliners, described by the late Barney McKenna as “the mortar between the bricks that kept the band together.”
The documentary chronicled the 50 years of The Dubliners but also delved into Sheehan’s poetry and musicianship with a live session with two of Ireland’s finest voices and songwriters, Damien Dempsey and Declan O’Rourke.
At that time John Sheahan remarked that “after 50 years I have decided it’s time to put a lid on the ‘The Dubliners’, but I think you’ll all agree that with Damien and Declan, the future is in good hands.”
It will come as little surprise to anyone who watched ‘John Sheahan – A Dubliner’ that Sheahan’s musical relationship with Damien Dempsey and Declan O’Rourke was only beginning.
John told Limerick Post this week that the documentary was the first collaboration for the trio.
“It was the first time that we did something together. They just came on the film set and without any rehearsing, we just tried it. It somehow worked, there was that natural empathy between us.”
The trio recently closed Dublin’s new Irish music festival, ‘TradFest’ in January 2015. In the lead up to the event, when asked what the group’s name would be, John Sheahan let it slip that they were affectionately calling themselves ‘The New Triangle’.
The New Triangle features John, Damien and Declan playing a few of The Dubliners classic songs, ‘Raglan Road’ and ‘The Olde Triangle’. Also, John will be sharing some of his poetry.
“I have a good few poems with a musical connection as you can imagine. There is a poem for Luke Kelly, for Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna.”
John launched his first collection of poetry last week called ‘Fiddle Dreams’ published by Dedalus Press.
Damien and Declan will play some of their songs too. Declan has a new song written called ‘Children of 16’ about the children who were caught in the crossfire in the 1916 rising and never get mentioned in Irish history. John will play his instrumental pieces as well, he might even play ‘The Marino Waltz’. For the audience it will be like eavesdropping on a good cosy session.
John first came across Declan O’Rourke when he was invited to join The Dubliners on Gay Byrne’s ‘One Night Only’ for RTE which celebrating 50 years of The Dubliners.
“Declan O’Rourke was touring the US at the time but changed his schedule to fly home and play with ‘The Dubliners’ – it was a lovely compliment to us.”
John Sheehan and banjo player Barney McKenna first met Damien Dempsey when they recorded on Damien’s ‘Rocky Road’ album. They also played on Dempsey’s ‘Rocky Road to Poland’ in 2012 which was Barney’s last recording before he passed away.
Back in 2013 the week the ‘John Sheahan: A Dubliner’ documentary was broadcast, Limerick Post had the opportunity to interview Declan O’Rourke. I asked Declan if his and Damien Dempsey’s participation in the programme represented a symbolic passing of the baton from The Dubliner to the new generation of remarkable Dublin voices.
Declan replied, “Well, that is a lovely way to think of it. We had a bit of a joke on the morning of the recording. John said this was just an excuse to trick ye into coming over, I want to start a band with ye.”
The trio didn’t realise it in that moment but right then, The New Triangle was born.
The New Triangle featuring John Sheahan, Damien Dempsey and Declan O’Rourke perform at Lime Tree Theatre on Saturday October 17.
