Curraghs, Minstrels, Rocks and Whiskey – The Ryan’s Fancy Story

Radio documentary originally broadcast on Newstalk 106-108fm (Ireland) in 2014. ‘Curraghs, Minstrels, Rocks and Whiskey – The Ryan’s Fancy Story’: In ‘Curraghs, Minstrels, Rocks and Whiskey ’, producer Ciarán Ryan travels to the East Coast of Canada to find out the history of the folk band Ryan’s Fancy who became households names in the 1970’s and early eighties. Comprising of three Irish immigrants – two from Dublin and one from Tipperary (and also the uncle of the producer) – Ryan’s Fancy played every village and town in Atlantic Canada in a twelve year career that saw the release of twelve albums and numerous television programmes from CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Corportaion) and other independent networks. They were equally at home playing in town halls, the infamous Strand Lounge in St John’s, Newfoundland, or larger audtioriums, and their audiences included everyone from students to farmers to prison inmates to even Ronald Reagan! ‘Curraghs, Minstrels, Rocks and Whiskey – The Ryan’s Fancy Story’ meets with the band’s two remaining members, Fergus O’Byrne and Denis Ryan, to find out more about why they became such a success story in Newfoundland and beyond. It examines what the attraction of the Canadian province so steeped in folklore and tradition was to the trio, and what they discovered when they arrived in a part of the world with such strong links to their native land. More than anything, Ryan’s Fancy discovered a music so similar to what they grew up listening to Ireland and brought it out into the public consciousness in Atlantic Canada in a way nobody had done before. Numerous other contributors recall the songs, gigs, and television shows that made the band popular, along with their grassroots approach to collecting songs and making friends – for Ryan’s Fancy made a lot of friends in the process of their career; three affable Irish guys with big hair and bigger beards, they knew how to party. Playing reels in the back of the van at 4am, singing sea shanties for hours after their live performances with locals, and getting back and doing it all along: Ryan’s Fancy’s appetite for the road saw them become loved wherever they went. Please note that the original broadcast was in 2 parts, with an advertisement break at approximately 24 minutes. Contributors Denis Ryan Fergus O’Byrne Allister MacGillivray Jack Kellum (RIP) Brookes Diamond Aidan O’Hora (RIP) Loyola Hearn Bob Hallett Ann O’Reilly Paul MacNeill Fergus Brown-O'Byrne Eric MacEwen (RIP)