Castlebars mr entertainment closes his record shop
CASTLEBAR’S Mr. Entertainment, Henry McGlade, closed his record shop on Market Square for the last time on Saturday evening, writes Tom Gillespie. His store is to be incorporated into the adjoining Vodafone shop and Henry will now devote his time to developing his TV show as well as continuing his DJ work and his involvement with corporate events at Ashford Castle, Cong.
The presenter of Entertainment Ireland on Irish TV, Henry has been 40 years in the music business as a DJ, compere and booking agent. Some of the many feathers in his cap over the years was compering the Pearse Brosnan wedding reception at Ashford Castle as well as Westlife’s Bryan McFadden’s nuptials.
The Sligo native started his career working for Fitzgerald’s in their flagship premises in Bundoran in 1971. Initially he got a summer job with them.
Henry takes up the story: “The record and souvenir shop was a huge tourist attraction and was going so well as the Irish record scene was just starting. They were doing such business in Bundoran they decided to open in Sligo and I was asked to run that shop. I stayed there a couple of years and they then opened in Castlebar, where I went in 1974. We were located next door to Cafolla’s on Main Street.
“I couldn’t bear Castlebar at all. There was nothing doing in it and I used to go back to Sligo every night because it was a good college town where there was a buzz. Eventually I got in on the Castlebar scene when I discovered everyone went to the Royal Ballroom. I started getting interested in the bands.
“At this time the disco scene was taking off. I was the first DJ in Castlebar. I started in the Welcome Inn on a Saturday night and the first song I played was ‘Dancing On A Saturday Night’. Eventually I was asked to go to the TF, where they opened Copa’s nightclub, and I stayed with them for about 20 years.
“Later I got involved with the Castlebar Song Contest. I was director of the song contest the year we won the Mayo Meitheal Award in 1981. Breaffy native Joe Malone was head of Bord Fáilte and he brought myself and Pat Jennings to America to promote the song contest as there was a postal strike in Ireland. We met all the songwriters and we went to Las Vegas where we met Neil Sedaka and Paul Anka who became patrons of the contest. In Chicago we met Mayor Jean Byrne, who later visited Castlebar. As a result, the following year a lot of the American songwriters entered songs in the contest.
“All the top artists came to Castlebar - Shay Healy, Johnny Logan, Louis Walsh, Brendan Graham, Mike Redway (one of the biggest songwriters in the UK) and Jimmy Kennedy, who also became a patron. I remember the day Terry Wogan came into Castlebar Airport with Acker Bilk and we had an oyster reception for them. People don’t realise how big the song contest was. It was the biggest in the world outside of Japan.
“The two biggest entertainment events in Ireland at the time were the Castlebar Song Contest and the Rose of Tralee. It was the X Factor of its day.
“RTÉ were committed to both shows but one year the contest was nearly not covered. That was during the Pope’s visit in 1979 because all their resources were tied up with the papal visit. However, Ballina man George Waters was the director general of RTÉ and he interceded to have the contest broadcast.”
Henry started to run his own record store business on Main Street in the ‘80s, later moving to Market Square. He was involved with the rock festival in Castlebar and later got involved in running concerts for charity.
“I remember bringing Foster and Allen to town. Then we started running The Connaught Telegraph awards for 10 years where Daniel O’Donnell and the Saw Doctors got their first recognition. To raise money for the song contest we brought Chris Rea, Meatloaf and Shakin’ Stevens to town for concerts. Shakin’ happened to be number one in the UK charts with ‘This Old House’ at the time. It was the first and only time I saw a massive queue outside the TF. There were 2,300 fans at the concert. They came from all over Ireland for it.
“I was involved with the Stables nightclub in Breaffy House Hotel on a Monday night. I was the first one to get a licence to run a Saturday night disco. I wrote to the judge and explained it was a fundraiser for the song contest. Gerry Walsh was manager in Breaffy House at the time and we wanted to run Valentino’s for the festival. I told the judge the event was good for the town and he granted it. Everybody went after a Saturday night licence after that.
“My involvement with Ashford Castle came by accident. They were let down by a band for an event. There was panic stations. So Anette Griffin knew me and I managed to get a band for them. Through that I became involved booking events for Ashford. The biggest event was Pearse Brosnan’s wedding, which made Hello magazine. I got the Magnier wedding out of it and I introduced Rod Stewart on stage in a stud farm in Tipperary. I was also involved with the Bryan McFadden of Westlife wedding in Slane, all out of my connections with Ashford Castle.
“I am like Larry Gogan, I will keep going. I am hoping the Irish TV show is taking off and between Irish TV and Frame Productions I will be kept busy. I adapted very easily to television. I was nervous for the first show. But my radio work over the years helped me a lot as well as doing MC for charity events. Knowing all the artists, I felt comfortable and they with me.”
Since the day he came to Castlebar he has been involved doing work for charities. He confessed: “It is one of the things that gives me greatest pride every year. I still get a great kick out of doing the charity work. I do stuff for anyone who asks. I have worked with them all.
“Castlebar has been good to me. The best move I ever made was coming to Castlebar. It is a great town. The way I look at it is Castlebar has been good to me and I like to give something back.
“I remember introducing Buck Owens. He only played in Castlebar because Padraig McTigue sponsored him and brought him over because he was a big fan. I also introduced Boxcar Willie, Slim Whitman.
'I remember the first awards show by The Connaught Telegraph. Paddy McGuinness was producing it. The place was packed and he had to literally push me out on stage. I got stage fright. Once I got out I was okay.”