Mushroom
I’m mad busy right now, with something regular readers can probably guess, so here’s a previously unpublished Irish music question and answer from my personal archives.
Hello, Eolaí. I’m originally from N.Ireland (my mother was from Balbriggan, though), I moved to Canada in the mid 70’s.
Anyhow, in the early 70’s I would go to local dances to listen to a group called “Mushroom”. They released at least one LP that I purchased while still living back home, have you ever heard of them?
If I had to describe them from memory, I would consider them to be a combination of Irish-Folk and what used to be called Progressive Rock, I believe.
Just wondering if they rang-a-bell to you as you appear to be quite up on music.
PS: They played in and around the County-Antrim area quite a bit. I wish that I could find a dvd of the lp that I used to have at home. In fact, IIRC, the lp was titled the same name as the group.
Well, all the best,
Tony
REPLY
Thanks for the note Tony. I’m no expert on Irish music though giving that impression hasn’t hurt (so far).
I’m fairly sure your’re referring to Aonghus McAnally’s prog-folk band called Mushroom from the early 70’s - they broke up in 1974 giving him plenty of timeto change careers and head into RTE children’s television.
Here’s a page here which says that there has been a reissue of their rare LP on CD.
Hope that helps! Who knew in the 1980’s that we’d be able to go back and retrieve our memories so easily from the decades before?
All the best and thanks again,
Eolaí
Notes:
1) Aonghus McAnally is the son of the deceased actor Ray McAnally, familiar to most Americans as the father of Christy Brown as played by Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot.
2) The excellent resource website IrishShowbands.Net has a page on Mushroom in their beat groups category.
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