Dancehall Days: When Showbands Ruled the Stage

The Showbands phenomenon burst spectacularly onto the Irish music scene in the 1960s, and Spotlight photographer Michael O’Reilly had unique access to the biggest stars of that time.

From national treasures like The Royal Showband, The Drifters, The Clipper Carlton Showband, The Dixies, The Miami Showband and Phil Lynott; to heroes of the folk scene like The Wolfe Tones, The Dubliners and Johnny McEvoy; and international visitors including Sandie Shaw, The Everly Brothers, Bing Crosby, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Diana Ross and David Bowie, this personal collection of photographs is a must-have for anyone whose hey-day was spent in the famous dancehalls of the 1960s.

Remember it all again – the ferment of the music, the hysteria of the fans and the charismatic stars of that thrilling decade.

'Wonderfully evocative of how it was in the 1960s'

Shay Healy