One thing leads to another is a truism which
sums up how the Jivenaires came into existence. Four
distinct decisions were involved:
Four Steps
Firstly a decision by a number of teenagers
in the Tennis Club in Boyle in 1962 to have a petition,
signed by about 40 young people both inside and outside the
Tennis Club, presented to the Committee of Boyle Catholic
Club, which, at that time controlled the Tennis Club. The
petition requested that the Tennis Club be left open as a
Youth Club between September 31st and Easter Sunday when
the Tennis Club was usually closed.
The Catholic Club committee duly made a
decision to accede to the request. The members of the
Committee present were Canon Mahon, Paddy McDermott, Paddy
Leonard, Gus Gallagher, Gerry Dodd, Willie Bushell, Barry
Feely, Bartly Moran and Paddy Kennedy. As the current
Secretary of the Tennis Club Committee and the person who
submitted the petition I was present at the meeting to
present the arguments in favour. Of all the decisions made
by the Committee of the Catholic Club they little realized
that this was the one for which they would be remembered
forty years later.
The third decision leading to the ultimate
formation of the Jivenaires was that of the newly formed
Committee of the Winter section of the Tennis Club, if it
could be so called, to hold a fund raising concert in the
Club Pavilion featuring a number of items including a
Band.
The concert was duly held and those people
who had been brought together on an ad hoc basis to form a
band made the final decision – to stay together as a
band. I was asked to act as Manager and I then suggested
the name The Jivenaires which was agreed to.
The initial members of the The Jivenaires
were Pat Feely(Vocalist), Pat Hever (Drums), Michael
Kennedy (Rhythm Guitar), Sean Kenny (Lead Guitar), Andrew
McKeon (Electric Organ) , Evelyn O’ Mara (Vocalist)
and Christy Regan (Bass Guitar). All except Christy Regan
(who was ex the Blue Rockets Dance Band) were still
teenagers.
At this stage the band had no electric
guitars, no microphones, no amplification, no set of drums,
no uniforms, no repertoire, no practice hall and, of
course, no money – so when I (also still a teenager)
was asked to become manager I naturally said Yes, No
Problem! At that time the mood was decidedly upbeat –
the success in starting the Club, holding the Concert
successfully and forming a Band meant that difficulties
were seen as challenges to be overcome, not reasons for
giving up.
The Role of the Defence
Forces
Getting the Jivenaires off the ground meant
raising funds. Some members of the band including myself
were members of the FCA (now known as the Army Reserve) and
attending a two week Training Camp in Finner immediately
arose as one way of raising some money which would be made
available to the band. Such Training Camps were held all
through the Summer months and we did not all attend at the
same time.
The Jivenaires with hired amplification and
hastily assembled equipment proved popular at hops in the
Tennis Club Pavilion which provided only a nominal income.
A repertoire was quickly put together and a reputation was
being established locally.
I arranged to attend a camp in Finner at the
earliest opportunity. I had postponed writing to such Dance
Halls in the locality as might have been interested in
employing the Jivenaires until I had received the
Jivenaires printed letterheading from the printers in
Dublin. This happened to arrive just before I went to
Finner which meant I would be unable to type the required
letters until my return which would have meant the loss of
valuable time during the Summer season. A diplomatic word
with Captain Des O’Neill an Army Officer who was
based in Boyle and who was in Finner at the time gave me
the use of office facilities and a typewriter after working
hours – in a hut used as an office in the camp. I was
in the process of typing these letters when the door opened
and a Corporal looked at me from the doorway. I decided it
would be preferable if he did not proceed further as he
would see that I was typing letters on Jivenaires Showband
letterheading. If I had to quote the authority of Captain
O’Neill for doing so it might have been embarrassing
for him and, in any case, I would prefer not to have it as
a talking point around the camp. I realized that he did not
know who I was and, as I was dressed in civilian clothes,
he did not know what rank I was. Giving him a hard look I
said,
“That door is meant to be locked, so
consider it locked!”.
“Sorry. ” he said, and
withdrew.
A few weeks later the band was given the
opportunity of playing at an open-air concert at Rockingham
(now the Lough Key Forest Park ) which was being opened to
the public. The only problem was that Michael Kennedy was
then at Camp in Finner. I sent him a letter setting out the
predicament in which the Band found itself and that the
engagement would have to be abandoned if he could not come
home for the event. Michael duly produced the letter to
Captain O’Neill who, notwithstanding his suspicions
(well founded) that the letter had really been written for
his benefit agreed to Michael taking leave of absence to
keep the engagement on the basis that he would have to be
on duty the next morning! So between providing funds and
office facilities and giving leave of absence the Defence
Forces played their part in the launch of The
Jivenaires.
A final word about the FCA and the
Jivenaires. About 12 months later I again went to Camp in
Finner. At this stage the band was much more established
and now had printed photographs for distribution at dances.
On one particular morning I was a member of a unit getting
ready to march on to the Square as soon as the recorded
bugle was heard through the public address system. At that
point hundreds of recruits would march on to the Square
from different directions and finish up in perfect
formation. Getting close to the crucial moment one of the
men a few rows in front of me turned round and said
“Devine, are you the CO of a band”. Reaching
into my tunic pocket I said,
“Yes, would you like to see a
photo?”
– at which point everybody in the unit
broke ranks to take a look at the photograph – to the
consternation of the NCO in charge who quickly restored
order!
Amplification
One of the more expensive items of
expenditure for the band would be amplifiers for guitars,
microphones etc. This was an essential investment but also
stretching finances to straining point. Local electrician,
Tom Murray who worked for Donal Farrell the TV Dealer on
the Crescent , came to the rescue. Also still in his teens
Tom fell into Jivenaires mode and said,
“No Problem – I will build you
an amplifier”
And, he did! Over a period of time he worked
on this amplifier in a workshop at the back of his house
with occasional visits from band members inquiring as to
progress. When the amplifier was finally finished it was
well tested and proved to be a success. Everything worked
from it, and so dependent was the band on this amplifier
that Tom agreed to come along to the earlier dances
“just in case”. On one such occasion Tom was
given the nod that there was something wrong
–
“More juice needed here,
Tom”.
No problem – play on while Tom
adjusted the insides of the amplifier with a screwdriver,
soldering iron or whatever else was needed. It was years
later when we heard about people getting electrocuted from
microphones or guitars that were wrongly connected. Such
thoughts did not occur to us – Tom had our complete
confidence and never let us down! We eventually got around
to using more fashionable amplifiers but Tom and his
amplifier will always hold a special place in the folk
memory of the Jivenaires.
Microphones
One of the band members, while searching the
attic in his house, managed to find a microphone that had
once been used by an airline pilot – it was attached
to the throat and not fixed to a microphone stand –
and the band decided to give it a try at the next dance.
Sean used it for some numbers to the puzzlement of the
dancers who did not know where the voice was coming from,
not seeing a microphone – and complained that he was
miming to a tape. This was before such miming on stage
became respectable in some quarters and the use of the
throat microphone was discontinued!
Words
At another of the early dances – a New
Year’s Eve Dance in Cootehall I think – 12
midnight duly arrived and Sean enthusiastically sang "Let
old acquaintance be forgot” – and the crowd
joined in with gusto. Afterwards Sean said
“It’s a good thing they joined in – I
only knew the first line”!.
The band subsequently changed some of its
personnel, acquired brass instruments and developed a
strong, commercial sound. It travelled the length and
breadth of the country, from Belmullet to Dublin and
Falcarragh to Shannon, from the Metropole in Dublin to the
Metropole in London and on to the RTE Showband Show –
but those early months provide memories of a unique and
unforgettable kind!
