The Grehan Sisters were an Irish folk music act of the mid to late 1960s who achieved popularity in Britain after moving to Manchester, England in 1967 from their native Boyle in County Roscommon, via a spell performing in Dublin. They disbanded around 1970 but have occasionally reunited for one-off appearances in subsequent years, most recently in 2015, while Helen continues to perform intermittently as a solo artist.
Biography
Siblings Marie, Francie and Helen Grehan were immersed in Irish traditional music from an early age via their parents' pub, Grehan's in Boyle, and as teenagers developed a reputation for their exuberant renditions of traditional and composed Irish songs and tunes, also featuring Francie's playing on mandolin and ukulele-banjo, Helen on guitar and both Helen and Marie on spoons, with which they frequently entertained the patrons. Young up-and-coming singers such as Christy Moore were attracted by their energy and their talents; in his 2012 book "One Voice" Moore wrote: In around 1965 the sisters moved to Dublin to develop their playing and singing career, where they were included in The Dubliners' short musical/comedy film O'Donoghue's Opera, and in 1966 released a single "Patsy McCann"/"Woman Of Our Town" plus an EP The Grehan Sisters for Rex records, a subsidiary of Decca. In 1967 they signed to the London-based Transatlantic Records, who were keen to capitalise on their recent success with releases of the Dubliners by signing another Irish group, and moved to Manchester, England where they established themselves on the U.K. folk scene, typically performing "with gusto" in the style of the day also favoured by artists such as The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers. In the U.K. they released an LP On the Galtymore Mountains featuring a mix of traditional music and Irish rebel songs, at which time Marie was 23 years old, Francie 22 and Helen 18. They released two more singles, this time on Transatlantic, and contributed two newly recorded songs to a 1968 Transatlantic sampler Here's To The Irish. They were a popular attraction on the British Folk Club circuit and the major urban concert venues, and were regular guests on the UK radio show "Country meets Folk", appearing ten times in 1968 and 1969. From the 1970s onwards the sisters ceased touring as an act and eventually all three returned to Ireland to live; Helen took part in several RTÉ productions and radio broadcasts in the 1980s. As of 2018, all three are still alive and well and have reunited on occasion for special performances. In 2014 the Grehan Sisters and Christy Moore headlined a tribute concert in Boyle to the late John Reilly, a traditional singer associated for some years with their parents' pub, and in 2015 they were guests of honour and recipients of the Annie McNulty Award at the opening of the South Roscommon Singers Festival, while Helen continues to perform intermittently as a solo artist featuring her own songs.
Discography
Various artists: Fleá Ceoil. Gael-Linn CEF 013, 1964. The Grehan Sisters sing "The Nightingale" and play "The High Reel" with Fergus Cahill; they also accompany Cahill on "Enniskillen Dragoons". Recorded live at the Fleá Ceoil festival, 1964, in Clones, Co. Monaghan, Ireland. The album is undated but is usually assigned to 1964 ; releases either side in the Gael-Linn catalogue are CEF 012 and CEF 014.
The Grehan Sisters perform one song "Off to Dublin in the Green" in the film O'Donoghue's Opera, 1965, also featuring The Dubliners, Johnny Moynihan, and others.
"Patsy McCann"/"Woman Of Our Town". REX R. 11020, 1966.
The Grehan Sisters. REX EPR 5005, 1966. Tracks: The Half Door; The Good Man ; Ould Ballymoe; Medley: The Old Bush/The Congress.
On the Galtymore Mountains. Transatlantic TRA160, 1967. Tracks: Victoria; On the Galtymore Mountains; Jigs: Gallagher's Frolics/Leitrim Jig; The Lake of Coolfin; The Fairy Boy; The Black Velvet Band; Lonely Banna Strand; My Uncle's in the Dail; Tommy McDonagh; The Donegal Reel; The Wexford Massacre. With Packie Byrne, whistle.
"Save the Old Home"/"Victoria". Transatlantic TRASP-14, 1967
Various artists: Here's To The Irish. Transatlantic TRA-SAM-1, 1968. The Grehan sisters sing "Henry Joy" and "The Orange and the Green", both previously unreleased. These tracks subsequently available on various other compilations.
"Cricklewood"/"God Bless The Irish". Transatlantic TRASP-20, 1968
Various artists: Here's To The Irish Volume 2. Transatlantic TRA-SAM-11, 1969. The Grehan sisters sing "Cricklewood" and "Victoria".
Seamus Tansey and others: Traditional Music from Sligo, Outlet SOLP 1022, 1973. Bernie Grehan plays guitar alongside Seamus Tansey - flute; Joe Sheridan - accordion and Bernadette Sheridan - bodhran. Tracks: Pipe On The Hob / Leitrim Jig; The Road To Boyle / The Happy Couple; Michael Coleman's / Mrs Kinney's; Across The Shannon / Mist In The Glen; Grehan's / The Movin' Bogs; The Blackbird; Lord Mayo; The Long Note; The Green Groves Of Erin / The Fox Hunter; The Hills Of Kesh / A Walk In The Country; Frieze Britches; Lark In The Morning; Port Na Bpucai; Si Bheag Si Mhor / Sonny's Mazurka; The Hills Of Clogher.
The Grehan Sisters' track "The Black Velvet Band" also appears on the 2004 Sweeney's Men 2-CD compilation The Legend of Sweeney's Men - Anthology.. Although the original LP and EP/singles releases have not been reissued as such, many tracks from their Transatlantic output have been reissued in the CD era on "Various Artists" compilations under such titles as The Best of Irish Folk, Essential Irish Folk, The Wild Rover, Irish Folk Favourites, The Very Best of Irish Folk, The Irish Folk Collection, etc., as well as the Transatlantic Folk Box Set, and are therefore not hard to find.
