The Fureys unseen & unheard: from making Billy Connolly cry with laughter to all-star music sessions

When The Fureys make their eagerly awaited return to the stage of Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on Saturday 8 January they will treat their audience to one of popular music’s richest legacies.

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They are one of Ireland’s all-time most acclaimed and influential folk and traditional bands. Fureys classics like I Will Love You, When You Were Sweet 16, Red Rose Café, Leaving Nancy, From Clare to Here and The Green Fields of France have become the soundtrack to the lives of fans all over the world.

The Fureys’ indelible musical footprint is rivalled only by their vast collection of personal stories of their musical experiences and friendships, gathered by Eddie and George Furey along an amazing 44-year journey which shows no signs of reaching a final destination.

Friendship with Billy Connolly, Gerry Rafferty and Ralph McTell

The Furey brothers were still trying to make it as folk singers in the late Sixties when Eddie Furey shared flats with then fellow folk stars-in-waiting, Billy Connolly, Ralph McTell, and Gerry Rafferty (of Baker Street fame).

Eddie recalls:”It was quite a group to be living under the same roof and we had great fun. I bet the neighbours never slept with all the singing and drinking.” So impressed were they by the quality of Gerry Rafferty’s songwriting at that time that they recorded his song, Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway - now a Fureys classic.

The Fureys remained pals with Billy Connolly, with Eddie and George giving as good as they get when it comes to trading jokes with the legendary king of stand-up comedy. “We met him once down at the Celtic Connections in Glasgow, went into a bar for a drink, and made Billy laugh for a change by telling tales about some of our mishaps. Tears were coming out of his eyes, and he said to us, 'Good job I only meet you now and then, otherwise I'll end up in a straitjacket!'" (George Furey)

UK fame and secretly swapping the backing tapes on Top of the Pops

Eddie and George Furey are particularly proud of their UK chart success with songs like I Will Love You and When You Were Sweet Sixteen, which in turn helped bring Irish folk and traditional music to a completely new audience. The band made their Top of the Pops debut in 1981. They ran into a problem when the show’s producers insisted that their own backing tape be replaced by a tape recorded by in-house musicians. The Fureys weren’t prepared to have music that wasn’t their own played to TV’s watching millions. George had a solution: "When they weren't looking, I replaced their tape with ours. No one knew I had switched them."

All-star music sessions and surprise busking

The Fureys will jump at any chance to play... not just on stage. Stories of the band striking up spur of the moment music sessions with fellow music stars who happen to be around are legendary. Joe Dolan, Philomena Begley, Tom O'Connor, Chris Rea, the Chieftains, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Liam Clancy, Sean Maguire and Phil Coulter are just a few of those who have joined The Fureys for their spontaneous sessions, each one with a story begging to be told. Many of these impromptu sessions have taken place behind closed doors in Belfast’s Europa Hotel in December, when many performers are in the city to star in their respective Christmas shows.

Coronation Street, Royle Family, Keeping Up Appearances and Heartbeat star, the late Geoffrey Hughes, had a keen interest in Irish music and would play the Bodhran with the band. He once joined the guys for a legendary all-night session in the Europa Hotel after starring in the Christmas pantomime at the Grand Opera House next door. The Fureys also struck up an unlikely music session with Kool & The Gang, Midge Ure (Ultravox)and other music co-stars backstage during an episode of Top of the Pops. There was a BBC strike and all of the show’s artists found themselves at a loose end. Alas, there are no recordings of how this fusion of styles came across.

Eddie Furey recalls how "many musicians have told us we influenced them after hearing a record from their grandparents' collection." One such musician was Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics. Dave started out as a roadie for The Fureys and credited Eddie with teaching him his first chords on the guitar. Eddie would return the compliment by joining Dave on stage for a jam during the latter’s wedding to Bananarama’s Siobhan Fahey.

Eddie and George also love busking and have been known to turn up in unexpected places. They once busked outside the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York, the morning after they had headlined at the venue and played to an ecstatic sellout audience. A group of unsuspecting passers-by came up to the two ‘buskers’ and announced: “you’re really good. One day you might get to play in there.” More recently, the guys popped up in Belfast City Centre, much to the delight of surprised Christmas shoppers.

The Fureys will be performing all of their best loved songs at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on Saturday 8 January. And fans can rest assured they will be treated to one or two entertaining tales on the night for good measure! Tickets are selling fast so book now to avoid disappointment.

Tickets are available from www.waterfront.co.uk , by calling 028 9033 4455 and from the Waterfront and Ulster Hall Box Office.

If you can’t make the Waterfront Hall concert, The Fureys will also be appearing at The Ardhowen theatre, Enniskillen on Saturday 12 February and the Market Place theatre, Armagh on Friday 18 March.