As if it were yesterday

Many thanks to Niall Toner for these historic photos (almost certainly taken by his wife Moira) of the Sackville String Band. The first (left) was taken in Hartigan's basement on the band's second appearance there in early December 1975, and shows your editor with his Jedson 6006 'Symphonic' with tunnel 5th string, and Niall with his recently acquired 'The Gibson' A-model mandolin. The banjo just visible behind them is almost certainly being played by Mick Daly.

The second (below) shows a later configuration of the band playing in a magnificent setting at Cork: (l-r) Colin Beggan (guitar), Paul Kelly (fiddle), Niall Toner (mandolin), Bill Whelan (bass), Jimmy Kelly (banjo). Jimmy, a phenomenal player while still in his teens, took over as Sackville banjo-player when your editor left in April 1979.


Thanks also to Colin Henry of Belfast, who - on learning that your editor was in the Sackvilles when they played at the Queens University Festival in the late 1970s - writes:

Pete Seeger once said 'there is nothing new under the sun' and I always add 'yes, but I learn something new everyday.'

There you go... you are partly responsible for me playing at all - you and Earl Scruggs, that is. I had just got hooked by the banjo sound of Earl and had started to play. I went to the SSB concert, saw a live 5-string in action (played as I now know by R. Hawkins), and decided I really wanted to do that. From there came the banjo and ultimately the dobro as I realised I couldn't match you or Earl on the 5-string! It's all your fault!! :-)