The inaugural A Sense of Ireland festival in London in 1980 featured over 90 events in Irish music, theatre, literature, the visual arts, film, crafts, dance, photography, architecture and archeology. The Sounds Of Ireland was the festival’s music showcase featuring the cream of the crop of the island’s punk and new wave bands as well as the legendary Rory Gallagher.
The following two pictures are quite well-known and have been available online for years. However, the third one is a bit of a gem. I found it while flicking through the Hot Press’ ‘U2 File’ (1985). This is first time it has been put up online. The picture was taken by Colm Henry (I suspect he took the second shot as well) and shows the lead singers of five of the most important Dublin New Wave bands.
The Sounds of Ireland (1980)
clockwise from top: the Virgin Prunes, DC Nien, The Atrix and U2. (Taken from the IrishRock.org website)
From 'The U2 File: A Hot Press U2 History', ed. Niall Stokes (Dublin, 1985)
jaycarax
dfallon
hXci
Awesome. I was doing research involving the architecture bit of it a couple of years ago, and somehow failed to notice there was any music component at all, let alone a pretty representative one.
[...] written quite extensively Dublin’s late 1970s/early 1980s Punk & New Wave scene. See The Sense of Ireland (1980), Dave Fanning & The Sportman’s Inn, Classic Dublin Punk/New Wave Singles (The search [...]
picked upan old 1979 copy of hibernia magazine with pic of dublin and bray punks and skins from stall in georges mkt.zine in bad nick but pics ok.
Hi there! Great to see my festival lives still online. That “Sounds of Ireland” poster hangs on my wall, in green.
For the record: it was NEVER “The Sense of Ireland” but very deliberately “A Sense of Ireland”.
Best wishes, John Stephenson. (then) Festival Director.
PS: For the best Dublin punk images of the ’78/79 era, check out our 24 Hours Dark Space event in Project Arts Centre. PiL failed to make it, but everyone else did.
Hi John,
Would it be possible to send me a jpeg of the poster? I am researching the 1977 to 1980 Punk/New Wave scene in Dublin. Any images that you have from that period would be great.
My email is 1999barcelona@live.co.uk
Jeff
Hi John,
I have been trying to track you down on behalf of Ali Grehan, Dublin City Architect, who would like to make contact with you.
Can you email her your contact details to Ali.Grehan@dublincity.ie.
Kindest regards,
Sandra