The Flying Column was the name of a

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

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group formed around 1967/68 who took their name from the Active Service Units of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

that fought throughout

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

during the

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Group

Eamonn Largey was the lead vocalist of the group and the founder, along with Paddy McGoldrick on tin whistle and vocals, and they were joined by Barney Evans on guitar and Sean Kelly on 5 string banjo. Kathleen McCready, who later married Eamonn and took his name, regularly appeared as a guest with the group at various gigs and on their albums. Tony Lynch also played guitar and sang, Johnstons motor car and The castle of Dromore on the Four Green Fields album. Barney and Sean, who featured on the group’s first album, left the group in 1971 – Barney for health reasons and Sean to move to

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

. They were replaced by Benny and Paul for the second album. Other members of the group sometimes included John Delaney and Bill Tierney. Largey died in 1973. McCready died in 1979. Tony Lynch died in 2019.

Music

The group’s material consisted of Irish ballads and rebel songs and they appeared at various concerts, republican clubs and fund-raising events. They also performed as the support act to many figures in entertainment such as

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Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo ...

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and the Spinners and were also featured in Romano’s Ballroom at the Rose of Tralee festival. The Flying Column’s first album “Folk Music Time in Ireland” was released in 1970 and they were among the earliest Belfast bands to issue a record. The songs on this LP were: Henry Joy, Come to the Bower, The Banks of the Ohio, The Boston Burglar, The Dying Rebel, Tom Williams, Belfast City, James Connolly, Whiskey in the Jar, When I Was Single and Banna Strand. Their second album “Four Green Fields”, released in 1972, included Four Green Fields, Roisin Dubh, Sam Hall, Dirty Old Town, Sen South Medley, Madame Bonaparte, Johnston’s Motor Car, Boolavogue, Old Maid in a Garret, The Castle of Dromore, Legion of the Rearguard and Song of the Dawn.

References

{{Authority control Folk music groups from Northern Ireland Musical groups from Belfast 1967 establishments in Northern Ireland 1968 establishments in Northern Ireland Musical groups established in 1967 Musical groups established in 1968