Little Town In The Old County Down - The Molly Maguires

The Molly Maguires were an Irish 19th-century secret society active in Ireland, Liverpool and parts of the Eastern United States, best known for their activism among Irish-American and Irish immigrant coal miners in Pennsylvania. The present day Molly Maguires are still knocking them dead but now its with great songs and sparkling good humour. Seven years ago, four young Irish musicians, three from Belfast and one from Lisburn decided to seek their fortunes in the land of the Maple Leaf. For a couple of years they played with various groups until at a party one night they started to sing together. The rapport was instantaneous and they knew this was the blend each of them had been searching for since coming to Canada. After weeks of rehearsal they opened at Toronto’s New Windsor House Tavern (now called Mc Veigh’s), the cradle of some of the finest Irish folk groups on this side of the Atlantic. They were an instant success as testified by the long queues that formed outside the New Windsor every night. That first week’s engagement stretched into six and the Molly Maguires were on their way. Since then they have appeared from Vancouver to St. Johns, Newfoundland to S.R.O audiences. They are the only Irish Canadian folk group ever to appear at Carnegie Hall. It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to the Molly Maguires. If this is your first exposure, you are in for a wonderful musical treat. If you have heard them before it just adds to the joy of anticipation.