| The Dubliners formed in 1962 in O'Donoghues pub, | | | | Bourke suffered a brain haemorrhage, he rejoined |
| the founding members were Ronnie Drew, Luke | | | | the group but he collapsed again, this time being |
| Kelly, Ciaran Bourke and Barney McKenna. They | | | | left partially paralysed, he had to leave the group |
| received their major breakthrough in 1967 when | | | | permanently. On June 30, 1980 Luke Kelly |
| their song Seven Drunken Nights received huge | | | | collapsed on stage, after suffering a brain tumour, |
| airplay and entered the charts. They began to | | | | he would later recover, re-joining the group on a |
| achieve fame and success as singers of street | | | | part-time basis, but suffered further ill-health, he |
| ballads, bawdy songs and great instrumental Irish | | | | died in 1984. In 1987, they released a new album, |
| traditional music. Their infamous drinking, long hair, | | | | Celebration, in conjunction with their twenty-fifth |
| beards, gruff accents and magnificent humour | | | | anniversary, it sparked a remarkable comeback. |
| endeared them to audiences across the globe. | | | | They appeared on a special edition tribute Late |
| Between 1967 and 1969 they released five | | | | Late Show television show with U2. |
| albums and a number of singles, one The Black | | | | Christy Moore, Stockton's Wing and The Pogues. |
| Velvet Band charted very well in Britain. In 1968 | | | | Their collaboration with The Pogues on the Irish |
| they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and | | | | Rover became a massive hit, countless television |
| toured America, Australia and New Zealand. | | | | programmes and sold out shows followed. |
| Tragedy struck the band in 1974 when Ciaran | | | | |