Well-known local duo preparing for launch of their first album

By David Flynn

Two Midlands men whose histories with Irish music go back many decades have now collaborated on their first album, Souvenir of Irish Folk Songs.

The release by Michael Murray, proprietor of the fuel filling station in Walderstown, Drumraney, and former local Garda PJ Shanagher, is being launched in The Well, Moate, this Friday night, April 25, at 8pm.

The album is made up of sixteen folk and Irish music numbers, with an accompanying DVD filmed in local areas.

Michael and PJ have collaborated on music-playing since the Covid days and have played several Midlands venues in recent times including The Three Jolly Pigeons, the Greville Arms Hotel and Courtney's in Bridewell.

Michael plays accordion and, as he says himself, "sings a few songs", while PJ plays guitar and also provides vocals.

"I like country and western, and played trad music all my life with different musicians, including with Willie Reynolds in the Railway Bar, Athlone, every Saturday night for years," said Michael.

"I also played in the Roseland bar in Moate, and Friday night in the Auld Shebeen in Moate with fiddle player, Jack Daly and I played in Jack O’Meara’s pub in Connaught Street with Sean McCormack, and also in Donnelly’s in Ballymahon with Bernie Hatchett.

"I started playing music around sixty years ago, in Murrays of Maghera, which was owned by Paddy, Marcella and Lizzie Murray, which were no relation of mine, but we were great friends and my mother and father used to go there."

Scenes shot outside the ‘Murrays of Maghera’ pub door will be on the duo's new DVD.

Filming was carried out by John Donohoe, who also produced Michael and PJ's 'Souvenir of Irish Folk Songs' CD in the Donohoe Studio, Killare, Ballinea, Mullingar.

PJ's son, John Shanagher, also filmed some scenes to accompany the song 'Lough Ree' and they also shot around the area inside and outside of Drumraney Church.

"We also taped some scenes of dancing in the hall in Drumraney and fitted it into the video of the number, Ferbane Waltz," said Michael.

The Ferbane Waltz is the final track on the sixteen-number CD, which features such favourites as 'Galway Girl', 'Molly Malone', 'Road to Kildare' and 'Galway Bay'.

Michael gave up playing music around 40 years ago when he began to work more full-time with his retail business, and when he got involved in the thoroughbred horse business, working on one occasion with champion jockey, Frankie Dettori.

"I got back into music around the time of Covid, and PJ and I got into playing a few tunes and I like his version of 'Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain'," said Michael.

Michael sings lead vocals and does some lilting on the album's song, 'Woman from Wexford', which is an old Clancy Brothers number.

When he got back into music with PJ, and they played well, he suggested the idea of the pair recording a CD.

"I thought, with the years moving on for us, the time was now right!" said Michael.

The videos that the two lads recorded have managed to clock up an impressive 120,000 views in the first fortnight after they were put on the YouTube channel, 'Donohoe Music'.

Another interesting story in the life of Michael Murray is that he was a regular conversationalist with Michael Jackson, when the late 'King of Pop' spent time in Grouse Lodge, Rosemount, recording music in 2006.

"For about six weeks, Michael Jackson came into the filling station with two of his children, and I didn't know who he was," said Michael Murray.

"He was wearing a fisherman's hat, and we talked a lot, but not about music. We talked about the countryside, and he liked the whole area around us, and he liked our shop, and said it was nice and that he had never seen anything like it before. But I never knew who he was until he went back."

PJ Shanagher has lived in Kiltoom for the past twenty-eight years, and lived for the previous ten years in Glasson where he was stationed as a garda. He was also based in Dublin, Granard and Ballymore in earlier years.

PJ, who is a native of Ballintubber in Roscommon, got to know Michael Murray when he was stationed in Ballymore.

"My father, Patrick was a button accordionist with the Ivy Castle dance band, and I grew up in music and loved it," said PJ, who plays rhythm guitar.

PJ's music interests also came from his own late musician brother Tom, and he also liked the Sheerin family musicians, and the music of the Hillbillies and Seamus Shannon, accordionist. When PJ was stationed in Dublin, he loved the music of the Dublin City Ramblers, from whom he got his love of folk songs.

"The CD is something that we're happy about, and I never thought it would happen to lads of our age. It was lovely to be able to do and I'm delighted to be part of it," said PJ.

"The CD is made up of songs both of us like, folk and country music, and basically trad thrown in, and I'd like to thank Michael Murray, and also John Donohoe for doing the recordings."

'Souvenir of Irish Folk Songs' will be launched in The Well, Moate this Friday night, April 25 at 8pm. Admission is free and the DVDs and CDs will be on sale on the night.

Among those who will be attending the launch are local radio personality, Joe Cooney, John Molloy, Mick Foster (of Foster and Allen) and his wife, Moyra, and another legend, TR Dallas!