Ryan’s Fancy was an

Irish folk music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there we ...

group active from 1971–1983. The band consisted of multi-instrumentalists Denis Ryan,

Fergus O'Byrne Fergus O'Byrne is a Canadian folk musician, best known as a member of the popular Irish-Newfoundland band trio Ryan's Fancy, and as a banjo, concertina and bodhrán player. Biography O'Byrne was born in Dublin, Ireland. In the late 1960s, he immi ...

, and

Dermot O'Reilly Dermot Anthony O'Reilly (1942 – 17 February 2007) was an Irish-born Canadian musician, producer and songwriter. Life He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and educated at Inchicore, County Dublin.''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'' () ...

, all of whom were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrants to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

History

1967–1970: Early years

Between the years of 1967–1969, O'Byrne, O'Reilly and Ryan emigrated to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

from

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 ...

in search of "better jobs". Not initially intent on working professionally as musicians once in Canada, their musical skills and experience, combined with their Irish heritage, provided them opportunities in the vibrant Canadian folk scene. Originally playing only at house parties and gatherings as a means of earning extra money, they quickly found themselves immersed within the

scene in Toronto. O'Byrne, O'Reilly and Ryan first played together as members of the Sons of Erin. The original Sons of Erin lineup featured O'Byrne and O'Reilly along with Gary Kavanagh, Mick Crowley, Ben Brooks and bandleader Ralph O'Brien. This lineup first toured Newfoundland in 1969, playing shows in St. John's, Gander, Grand Falls and

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

over a period of six weeks. Ryan joined the band following the first Newfoundland tour. O'Byrne, O'Reilly and Kavanaugh split from the Sons of Erin and continued touring as O'Reilly's Men. The band was short-lived and O'Reilly soon moved to Montreal. Following O'Reilly's departure, Kavanaugh and O'Byrne joined Don Sullivan and Vik Heaney to form Sullivan's Gypsies. Heaney soon left the group, while O'Reilly rejoined along with Ryan. The band toured in Newfoundland again, as well as playing shows in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in 1970.

1971: Formation of Ryan's Fancy

Following the disbanding of Sullivan's Gyspsies, O'Byrne, O'Reilly and Ryan formed their own band, Ryan's Fancy. The name was taken from a jig composed by Ryan during their time with Sullivan's Gypsies. Ryan's Fancy played their first show at the Nag's Head pub in Toronto. For the next several months they played gigs in both Toronto and Halifax. In March 1971, the band made their first trip to Newfoundland, playing a show at the Hotel Newfoundland.

1972–1983: Move to Newfoundland and Critical Success

The trio relocated to St. John's, Newfoundland in 1971 to attend Memorial University of Newfoundland. Making a splash in the local music scene, the group caught the interest of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

. Produced by Jack Kellum, a television series entitled ''Ryan's Fancy'' involved the trio traveling and playing across Atlantic Canada. A second series entitled ''Tommy Makem and Ryan's Fancy'' was also produced by CBC in the 1970s. Later, accordion virtuoso James Keane from Dublin became the band's fourth member. Shortly after Keane left the band in 1983, Ryan's Fancy split. Keane moved to New York City, where he became part of the traditional scene there through the 1980s to the present day.

1983–present: Disbanding and current status

When Ryan's Fancy disbanded, Ryan moved to

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, while O'Byrne and O'Reilly remained in St. John's. O'Byrne returned to Newfoundland's Memorial University. In 1988, he became a director of the St. John's Folk Arts Council and between 1990–1991, he chaired the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. O'Reilly started a production company called Piperstock Productions in 1993, producing 25 albums. He remained active in music post-Ryan's Fancy, frequently performing live with O'Byrne at gigs in St. John's over the years. His last performance took place the night before he died. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on 17 February 2007, at age 64. In 2004, Ryan's Fancy were awarded the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award of the East Coast Music Association.

Members

* Denis Ryan - vocals, fiddle, tin whistle (1971–1983) *

- vocals, banjo, concertina, bodhran (1971–1983) *

- vocals, guitar, mandolin (1971–1983; died 2007) * James Keane - accordion (1980–1983)

Discography

* ''Ryan's Fancy Sung by Sullivan's Gypsies'' (1970) * ''Curraghs, Minstrels, Rocks and Whiskey'' (1971) * ''An Irish Night At The Black Knight Lounge'' (1971) * ''Dark Island'' (1971) * ''Looking Back '' (1972) * ''

Newfoundland Drinking Songs ''Newfoundland Drinking Songs'' is an album by Ryan's Fancy released in 1973. Track listing #"Intro" #"The Night Paddy Murphy Died" #"Nancy Whiskey" #"Miss McLeod's Reel" #"The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen" #" Rocky Road To Dublin" #"I'm A R ...

'' (1973) * ''Times To Remember'' (1973) * ''Ryan's Fancy Live '' (1975) * ''Brand New Songs'' (1977) * ''A Time With Ryan's Fancy'' (1979) * ''Sea People'' (1980) * ''Dance Around This One'' (1981) * ''15 Drink-a-Long Songs'' ( Cassette Reissue of "An Irish Night at the Black Knight Lounge) ( 1982)) * ''Irish Love Songs'' (1982) * ''Ryan's Fancy Live'' (

Compact Disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

Reissue of "An Irish Night at the Black Knight Lounge" and "15 Drink-a-Long Songs") (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

) * ''Songs From The Shows'' (2001) * ''What a Time! A Forty Year Celebration'' (2011)

References

External links

Ryan's Fancy official websiteJames Keane's official website
{{Authority control Canadian folk music groups Canadian Celtic music groups Irish folk musical groups Irish emigrants to Canada Musical groups from Toronto Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups disestablished in 1983 1971 establishments in Ontario 1983 disestablishments in Ontario