Mayo memories: The Country Girl raised funds for church restoration project

By Tom Gillespie

THIS week 79 years ago the renowned Castlebar musician, composer and orchestra leader, Stephen Garvey, produced the two-act musical comedy A Country Girl, which was staged in the town hall.

The souvenir programme, printed by The Connaught Telegraph, cost 6d each and contained the choruses of the 15 songs featured in the four-night production staged by Stephen Garvey’s Musical Society. Proceeds from the production were in aid of the local church restoration fund.

Son of Charles (Chassie) Garvey and Mary McMillan, Stephen was one of 10 children. By the age of four he was showing a remarkable interest in music.

Stephen had the distinction of leading the first dance-orchestra on Radio Éireann after which he set up The Stephen Garvey Orchestra in 1926.

The orchestra quickly became an institution and played all over Ireland and the United Kingdom in venues ranging from The Emerald Ballroom in Lecanvey to the Mansion House in Dublin, making Stephen the dance band leader of the time.

The 1944 production had a cast of over 60 players, a seven-member orchestra and 10 supporting crew and assistants.

Stephen cast two players for each of the 10 character parts. He gave each of the two turns on the stage on alternative nights.

The cast included Mary Garvey, Bernie Collins, Eileen McCormack, Nodie Irwin, Maureen O’Quigley, Gertie McCormack, Paddy Irwin, Muriel Gillespie (my aunt), Gussie Wynne, Cait O’Kelly, Marcy Lacey, Betty Hynes, Josephine Byrne, Paddy Daly, Phyllis McCormack, Nora Cunningham, Jack Heverin, Eileen Giblin, Joe O’Quigley, Nan Irwin, A. Cunningham, Don Daly, May Gavin, Monica Fleming, Brigid Collins, John Irwin, Kathleen Gildea, Angela Corcoran, Nan O’Kelly, Nora Naughton, Eddie Wynne, Danny McCormack, Eugene Giblin, Mary Carroll, Maureen Giblin, Eileen Naughton, Margo Stewart, Mary McCarthy, Carmel Carroll, Jimmy Reilly, Seamus Daly, Paddy Sweeney, Michael Gavin, Joe Ryan, Joe Coyle, I. Daly, Sean Collins, Dick Carroll, Celsus McDonnell, Joe Ainsworth, Noel Peard, Tommy Horkan, Paddy Gilligan, T.B. de Lacy, John F. McCormack, Ena Gildea, Michael Moran, Lawrence Bourke, Rita Gavin, Mary Igeo, Pat Quinn and Ger McCormack.

The members of the orchestra were: first violin, Michael Killeavy; second violin, James Sweeney; trumpet, Willie Keane; piano accordion, Paddy Sweeney; double bass, Jimmy Garvey; piano, Angela Corcoran and drums, Danny McCormack.

The officials and stage crew included Fr. John Gibbons, Ita O’Kelly, James Daly, T.P. Flanagan, Mrs. J. Garvey, Evelyn Staunton, T. Gavin, Mrs. K. de Lacy, Mrs. Flanagan, Maud Irwin, Mai Leonard, G. Kornisch, Mrs. Danklesen, Kitty Irwin, W. de Lacy, M. de Lacy, James Garvey and John Maye.

Thirty-four years later, on Thursday, October 5, 1978, Castlebar Urban Council unveiled a plaque on the house in Castle Street - where Ladbrokes was located and is now a tattoo studio - where Stephen Garvey was born in 1902.

It was during the week of the Castlebar International Song Contest and many of the artists involved attended the unveiling ceremony.

I recall being accompanied by RTÉ’s Val Joyce as the residents of Castle Street came out to celebrate and remember their distinguished neighbour.

Later, a local Stephen Garvey Memorial Committee was formed to raise funds to have his remains reinterred from the USA to his native Castlebar, on August 18, 1996, where they were laid to rest in the local cemetery.

After a 40-year musical career in Ireland, Stephen retired to America in 1956 to join his sister Sister Mercedes in Heuston, Texas.

He died there, aged 60 years, in January 1962.

Local historian Brian Hoban had researched the life and times of Stephen Garvey.

Members of the orchestra often changed and during the 1950s and included Val Doonican who played drums with the orchestra before going on to become an international star in his own right.

After playing drums with Stephen on a tour of Ireland, Waterford native Val Doonican, who had digs in MacHale Road, moved to the UK in 1951 to join the Four Ramblers, who toured and performed on BBC Radio shows broadcast from factories. Doonican met dancer Lynnette Rae when both she and the Ramblers supported Anthony Newly on tour. They married in 1962.

Recognising his talent and potential as a solo act, Newley persuaded him to leave the singing group and go solo.

He was auditioned for radio as a solo act, and appeared on the radio show Variety Bandbox. Soon after his solo career started, he had his own radio show as well as performing in concerts and cabaret.

Many years later when Val performed at a Mayo Rehabilitation Institute concert in the Royal Ballroom, Castlebar, which was organised by Kevin Bourke, and he was accorded a civil reception by Castlebar Urban Council and among those to greet him on the night was Joe Chambers from Staball, Castlebar, who was the resident vocalist with Stephen Garvey when Val was with the orchestra.

Stephen took a keen interest in light opera and staged his first production, The Mikado, in Castlebar Town Hall in 1926. It proved a huge success and six further operas followed within four years.

Later he turned his hand to pantomime.

As a composer Stephen penned a hymn to Our Lady of Knock and a musical, Mayo Mary, which unfortunately was never published.

The last Castlebar Urban Council also honoured the musician by naming a road - Stephen Garvey Way - in his honour.

It runs from the old Westport Road down by the Church of Ireland cemetery to the bus stop near the Boots car park.