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Artist
Emmet Spiceland
12+ albums
60sfolkIrish Folk
about
The Emmet Spiceland was a band formed when brothers Brian and Michael Byrne of The Spiceland Folk Group joined forces with Donal Lunny, Brian Bolger and Mick Moloney's Emmet Folk Group around 1968. The Emmet Spiceland hold a special place in Irish music history as the first of their kind, bringing what was, at the time, a modern sound, to the previously stiff and conservative national airwaves. They were known for beautiful harmonies, pin-up good looks, mod dress sense and previously unheard of contemporary arrangements of Irish classics. The band enjoyed screaming Beatlemania-style scenes at public appearances after a number of chart successes, with the single "Mary From Dungloe" hitting number one. The single was taken from their album, 'The First' featuring songs by Shay Healy and Christy Moore, with orchestral arrangements by Phil Coulter. Christy Moore praised the band in a documentary of his life, accompanied by footage of a performance at the All Ireland final at Croke Park in Dublin. The band's management employed marketing and poster campaigns said to be ahead of their time, with band members in glamorous settings not common to the day. The success of their song 'Mary From Dungloe' inspired the creation of the Mary From Dungloe International Festival which is still going strong today. Brian went on to further fame in London's west end with Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph, amongst other successes. Michael's interests took him toward the visual arts, following up
