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THE IRISH ROVERSNominated for Canadian Folk Music Awards 2023 SINGLE OF THE YEAR
The Legendary Rovers Perform on Tour
George Millar and Ian Millar, lead singers of The Irish Rovers. George, an Irish Rover all his life, wrote the song, “Hey Boys Sing Us A Song” as a response to the Covid years, and includes the refrain “We all need some happiness back in our lives!” The song is nominated Canadian Folk Music Awards, SINGLE OF THE YEAR.
On their 60th Anniversary, ‘Dinosaurs’ of the Canadian Music scene are up for a 2023 Canadian Folk Music Award and now on their sold out NO END IN SIGHT Tour Canadian music veterans, The Irish Rovers continue to entertain and gain generations of fans, into their 60th year, with their upcoming (nearly sold out) tour (30 concerts). Last year the legendary band hit Spotify’s VIRAL TOP 50 in both the US and UK/ Ireland, and recorded a new album, No End In Sight. They have included their original 1977 version of “The Wellerman” on the new album (with an updated ending).
The No End In Sight album includes a new anthem for our time, Hey Boys Sing Us A Song – nominated SINGLE OF THE YEAR in the 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards. The song, written by Rovers leader and co-founder, George Millar was inspired by the last few years of frustrations and includes the welcome refrain, “We all need some happiness back in our lives!”
Video, Hey Boys Sing Us A Song:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4LZu5lzxBwfi6BpNdZ2TsE Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hey-boys-sing-us-a-song/1600027792
NOTE: The Rovers refer to themselves and other music veterans as Dinosaurs on the last song of their new “No End in Sight” album. A tribute to the old crusty musicians who have paid their dues and are still going strong today in an environment that is hostile to their survival. https://open.spotify.com/track/7KPGaVjsXEsmqSF7GrMHTR?si=f716486ed2d3449d
Fans should fasten their seatbelts for a rollicking night of the hits, Rovers latest, and hilarious stories from decades of Rovin.’ On stage in 2023 will be George Millar, Ian Millar, Davey Walker (keyboards), Gerry O’Connor (fiddle), Geoffrey Kelly (flute/whistle), Fred Graham (bodhran), and joining the Rovers for the first time will be virtuosos Shane Farrell on banjo, Jimmy Keane on accordion and Kevin Evans from Evans and Doherty. Some may remember Kevin from his days singing with the Clancy Brothers.
Canada has been home to the Irish Rovers since its inception in the early 60s. Millar says, “It’s been a bit odd, being from both Ireland and Canada. The fans have found it confusing as well.” This lead to the song “Band Without A Country” from the Rovers’ 2020 album “Saints And Sinners”. The song and video tells their story from Ireland to Toronto and beyond, VIDEO:
1968 – 2023 a few of their honours …
1968 Winner, RPM Gold Leaf Award (predecessor to JUNOS), “Folk Group of the Year”
1968 Nomination GRAMMY Award, “Folk Performance of the Year”.
1971 Winner ACTRA Award for Best Variety Performance
1971 Winner RPM Gold Leaf Award, Outstanding Record Sales
1975 Nomination JUNO Award, Best Album Cover, “Emigrate! Emigrate!”
1979 Winner PROCAN Harold Moon Award for International Achievement for TV
1981 Nomination JUNO Award, Single of the Year, “Wasn’t That A Party”
1981 Nomination JUNO Award, Folk Artist of the Year
1982 Nomination JUNO Award, Group of the Year
1982 Nomination JUNO Award, Country Group of the Year
1982 Nomination JUNO Award, Folk Artist of the Year
1983 Nomination JUNO Award, Country Group of the Year
2010 Winner, VIMA Award, SOCAN Song of the Year, “Gracehill Fair”
2023 Nomination Canadian Folk Music Awards, Single of the Year, “Hey Boys Sing Us A Song”
BC ENTERTAINMENT HALL OF FAME: The Rovers were contracted for 7 half hour shows but the phenomenal ratings made them overnight household names and they continued with Ken Gibson producing several series and 11 Specials taped in studios, on location across Canada and in Ireland, the UK and New Zealand for the next 18 years, picking up a Nellie (Genie) Award and beating Hockey Night in Canada’s ratings along the way.
In 1967, The Irish Rovers released a breakout hit with their second album, The Unicorn. That album and ‘lucky little ditty’ of a title track written by Shel Silverstein, took them from folk clubs of America to concert halls and television sets worldwide. The band returned to the charts 15 more times, nevertheless, the magic of The Unicorn remained. To pay appropriate tribute on its Gold Anniversary in 2017, the Rovers released “The Unicorn, The Continuing Story” with new recordings of the original Unicorn album, plus the sequel to The Unicorn song, which gave us the answer to an age old question: What happened to the Unicorns when the ark left them stranded on the shore?” VIDEO:
In the 70’s, the Rovers were the first Irish band to play the Grand Ole Opry, and in ’71 they began hosting one of their three international television series, ‘The Irish Rovers show’ for CBC. The show ran seven seasons and won the ACTRA Award for best Variety Performance. During the 80’s there were two more international series, ‘The Rovers Comedy House’ and ‘Party With The Rovers’ which ran for another seven years and likely the only show to beat Hockey Night in Canada in the ratings! During this time they became so much a part of the Canadian culture that PM Pierre Elliott Trudeau asked them to become Canadian citizens so they could represent Canada around the world. They accepted the honour, became citizens, and subsequently represented Canada at five World Expos.
Since 2010 the band has returned to the small screen with three international television specials, The Irish Rovers 50th Anniversary, The Irish Rovers Christmas and The Irish Rovers Home In Ireland which took us back to the same spots back home they visited in the early years of the CBC series. The Rovers continue to sell out concert halls worldwide with their music climbing the charts on Spotify and going viral on YouTube, subsequently gaining them another few generations of followers.
Over the years, Ireland has felt the impact of The Irish Rovers’ long career of bringing Ireland and Irish music to the rest of the world. Recently, the Rovers were honoured in both Ballymena N. Ireland and Dublin Ireland for all they have done over the years for the music industry and promoting Ireland across North America and beyond. Dublin’s EPIC Museum Director Mervyn Greene refers to The Irish Rovers as ‘one of Ireland’s greatest émigrés’.
Original Irish Rovers, Will Millar, Wilcil McDowell are retired from the band, but George Millar still fronts the band he founded in 1963 with his best pal, the late Jimmy Ferguson.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Imperial Theatre, 12 King Square South,Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
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