Here Comes The Son

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 30 years since Phelim Drew sang on a Greystones stage.

Back then, it was the notorious Baskerville Sisters, celebrating rockabilly, psychobilly and sillybilly…

On Saturday night in The Whale, it was another celebration, but this time, it was all about coming home, about embracing your past, and revisiting and reviving the music that bounced off the walls of Benevenagh on Killincarrig Road.

For it was there, in this house of fun, that Ronnie and Deirdre Drew played – and made – sweet, sweet music just about every day, passing on that love of living life all the way up to 11 to their two children, Cliodhna and Phelim.

Having established himself as one of Ireland’s finest actors over the last 30 years, music was nonetheless always there for Phelim Drew, from those early Baskerville days to the occasional and often spontaneous session in pubs, clubs, living rooms and early houses. Playing live music on a nightly basis as part of the hit show Once sparked an idea – how about pulling together some of the country’s best musicians and just embracing all those songs that his father taught him, that his mother loved, and that became a soundtrack to a life…?

And so it was that Phelim was joined by his dad’s old pal, pretty-much-legendary session guitarist Anto Drennan, along with acclaimed fiddle & banjo players Gerry O’Connor and noted double bass player Neville Lloyd for a night of remembering, and a night to remember.

It was a night that felt like an anniversary, a wake, a session and a birth, all at the same time. I reckon the lad might just be onto something good here…