Michael Cronin of Killarney Says Apprenticeship in Irish Showband
The Best Experience for Young Musicians

By CATHOLINE BUTLER

VANCOUVER - Michael Cronin's world is music, his day job is music and his night job is making music. Cronin is the manager of the Long and McQuade Music Store on West Hastings and during week nights, you will find him on stage at the Blarney Stone Pub in Gastown with the fabulous group Killarney.

MICHAEL CRONIN

Killarney is a phenomenon and belong in the Guinness Book of Records for their longevity as a house band. A truly unique group of musicians who can play music for all age groups, the band shows no signs of slowing down. For over two decades, Killarney has kept the Gastown landmark rocking with line-ups every weekend. In fact, Killarney is now playing music for the children of the parents they entertained 20 years ago.

Michael Cronin recently spoke to The Celtic Connection about his musical background. “When I was growing up in Mallow, County Cork, I started playing music at an early age,” he said. “My father was a drummer in a band and I used to sit on his lap and play the drums until my mother said, ‘we don’t want another drummer in the house’. And she went and bought me a saxophone.

“And so I started playing the saxophone just to pacify her. But that turned out to be a good deal because then I also learned to play the flute and clarinet as well. So that’s where it all began.”

Michael continued, “my brother John (who also plays in Killarney) and I played in my father’s band for several years, but eventually we progressed on to different things. I joined the Michael O’Callahan Big Band and there were about 10 of us who travelled and played all over the place.

“I actually had an opportunity to go to New York, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia with the band. It was my first time out of Ireland and it was a great experience for me at a young age. Travel is an eye opener and it changed my life forever.

He said, “things progressed from there and we formed our own band Killarney in the town of Killarney. We played in Killarney at the Glen Eagle for their first summer cabaret season and it was a huge success.

“And after that we got an opportunity to come to Canada, and after several goings over to Ireland and coming back, we finally decided to stay in Canada. And that was the best thing we ever did was to come to Canada.

“Many of your Celtic Connection readers will remember Rudy Victora from the Blarney Stone. He was the first guy to bring us to Canada for six weeks and of course, we fell in love with Vancouver.

“We travelled outside of Vancouver for the first time in the middle of the winter and I can remember, Rudy got us this booking in Edmonton. He put us on this bloody train and told us we’d be fine. I can remember getting off the train in Edmonton dressed in a shirt, pants and a tie and it was minus 40. I can tell you we never prayed so much in our lives for heat.”

Killarney travelled and performed all over Canada before finally returning to Vancouver where they settled down to become the Blarney Stone house band and have lived happily ever since.

Speaking about his experience playing in a showband, Michael said, “the best musical experience you could possibly have, is playing in an Irish showband. You learn how not to sleep, you learn how to travel, how not to eat, and you play gigs in a different place every night and then you’re off again.

“You get home at 7 AM and at 2 PM you’re back on the bus or van going somewhere else. The big luxury when we played in Dublin and would be going to Galway the next night – then we got to sleep in a hotel room!

“Anybody who has ever played in an Irish showband will tell you it’s a great apprenticeship. Since being in Canada and playing with musicians here and watching their work ethic...they just don’t have the same ethic as the Irish musicians have and they don’t have the same ability.

“Now, I’m not saying they’re all like that but a lot of musicians in North America don’t have the ability to improvise. When you grow up in an Irish showband....you improvise, because you have no choice.

“The other thing about Irish showbands is the personality and dress. You’re always smiling at the people on the dance floor and making eye contact. People got to know the individuals in the band. As young fellows growing up, sure you couldn’t have it any better for God’s sake...all those young girls there smiling up at us!”

Speaking about his day job as manager at the Long and McQuade, Michael said, “Long and McQuade Music Store has the largest selection of band and string instruments and print music in Canada. We supply low rental rates for school children to give them an opportunity to participate in schools. This is 60 percent of our business. We get e-mails and phone calls to ship sheet music and instruments all over the world every day.”

Where will Killarney be on St. Patrick’s Day? “At the Blarney Stone,” says Michael, “we do two sets in the afternoon and it’s a great time for the families. They all come in to the Blarney Stone in the afternoon and they are from all ages. In the evening, we do our regular set but with more Irish music than we normally do.”

If you hope to have any chance of getting in to the Blarney Stone to see Killarney on St. Patrick’s Day....you’d better go early! The Blarney Stone Irish Pub is located at 216 Carrall Street in Gastown.

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