Stagalee
Opening for Thin Lizzy at Dalymount Park - Johnny Gilmour (percussion), Errol Walsh (guitar/vocals), Paul Hanrahan (sax & flute), Eoghan O'Neill (bass), Donie Moore (drums)
"Stagalee" initially kicked off in Tralee, Co. Kerry as Portstewart singer/guitarist Victor McCullough's band. Victor left to do other things and the remainder of the band went through numerous personnel changes over the years after the band moved to Dublin.
I became the singer/songwriter for Stagalee after Victor's departure and was privileged to have enjoyed the company of some of the country's finest musicians as the music went through those myriad changes.
Dublin Days
There were so many changes of personnel in the whirlwind Dublin music scene in the 70's and early 80's that it was hard to keep track at times and photos were usually taken for a specific purpose like publicity shots, which were time limited and often discarded once redundant.
So many memories were lost.. We were having too much fun!!
Dave McHale (sax/keyboards);,Errol Walsh (guitar/vocals), John Farrell (drums), Eoghan O'Neill (bass), Greg Boland (guitar)
Errol Walsh (vocals/guitar), Greg Boland (guitar), Dave McHale (keyboards & sax), Gavin Hodgson (bass), Fran Breen (Drums)
Colin Tully (sax/keyboards), John Forbes (drums/vocals), Honor Heffernan (vocals), Errol Walsh (guitar/vocals), James Delaney (keyboards), Tommy Moore (bass/vocals)
A big thankyou to many of the great musicians pictured above. Gavin Hodgson (bass) and sax-player Colin Tully (RIP) from Scottish band Cado Belle joined us at various times as did drummers John Farrell and John Forbes, jazz singer Honor Heffernan, the fabulous James Delaney on keyborads and the equally fabulous Tommy Moore on bass and vocals
Stagalee Reunion 2018
This short tour was both a joyous reunion and a sad farewell. Our guitarist, arranger and driving force Greg passed away suddenly and unexpectedly before we were able to complete the dates he had booked for us... It was a massive shock to us all and although there was a lot of interest in the band continuing, the heart and soul had gone out of it for me.
The wonderful Anto Drennann (noted for his involvement with the Corrs, Genesis and Mike + the Mechanics.) helped us see out the remaining dates on guitar and our final gig was a memorial tribute to Greg at the Purty Kitchen in Dunlaoghaire. It was a memorable night and we were joined onstage for a few songs by our old bass player Eoghan O'Neill (ex- Christy Moore and Chris Rea) and other friends of the band Pete Cummins and Mary Coughlan also played a short set.
Greg was a fine musician with an impressive CV (he had a long and distinguished career including stints with Stevie Winwood, Carole King and Leo Sayer – and was a member of Irish band Scullion) but above all he was a rare and gentle soul who was loved by all and who lived and breathed music.
Thanks to all our old friends and fans who turned out to support the band down through the years... and a special mention and thank you to our sound engineer Colm Flynn.
Left to Right: Antonio Caffolla (sax/percussion), James Delaney (keys) ,Greg Boland (guitar), Tommy Moore (bass/vocals), Errol Walsh (Vocals/guitar), Paul McAteer (drums)
