County Derry showbands feature in new book on 20th century Irish bands

A new book which has been described as an 'almanac of 20th century Irish dance bands, band shows and showbands' features many from County Derry.

'From Tango To Twist' has been published in association with the Irish Bands' Archive at irishshowbands.net and the Curious Cat Library.

The hardback book with 336 pages is packed with photographs of 865 different Irish bands from every corner of the island (most with bio and a list of personnel), 160 vintage dancing and music cuttings, and selected discographies for all bands who recorded. The book includes a 12-page index with 1,500 entries including bands, towns, villages and singers or featured artistes.

The new publication which features bands from County Derry including Magherafelt's Bluebirds and Eglinton band The Suns, is an ultimate reference book for those with an interest in the social history of Ireland.

The author, Francis K. Beirne, himself toured as a showband musician and has been collecting press cuttings, magazines, records, photographs and memorabilia since he was a teenager.

He has had articles on the subject published in various publications including the Irish Independent, Ireland's Own (three different series), Senior Times, the Irish Post and Irish-America Monthly. He was a consultant for the RTE series 'A Little Bit Showband' and the 2005 TV film, 'Showbands'. He founded the irishshowbands.net web archive in 2002.

Books are priced at EUR 28.00 and are available at the following outlets:

The Athlone Bookshop (085 755 3307), O'Brien's Newsagents, Galway (091 567 630), Vibes and Scribes, Cork (021 450 5370), Alan Hanna's Bookshop, Dublin (01 496 7398), Pangur Bán Books, Ballina (096 72914), Imaginarium Books, Clonmel (085 884 820), The Bookmark, Letterkenny (074 911 2020).

For more details of the book and a sample page, or to ask a question, send an email (subject: Almanac) to irishbandsarchive@gmail.com