The life and times of Mayo band leader Stephen Garvey

PART 1

By Tom Gillespie

ONE of Ireland’s most celebrated musicians, and foremost band leaders, Stephen Garvey, died in the USA in January 1962.

In the February 3, 1962, edition of The Connaught Telegraph a lengthy obituary was carried on the Castle Street, Castlebar, native.

It described Garvey as perhaps Ireland’s greatest ever showman.

Fourth son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles Garvey, and a member of a very old and very talented Castlebar family, the deceased reached his 60th year last September (1961).

His career was spectacular and amazing. He first came into prominence as a musician at the age of 12, and in an eventful and very busy life rose to the pinnacle of success and fame at home and abroad.

A perfectionist in all things, emotional, exacting and having all those eccentricities associated with genius, there was a distinct class about everything he did, every show he produced.

In addition to show and band work, for many years he was organist and choirmaster in the Church of the Holy Rosary, Castlebar. He also arranged music, composed songs and at least one opera.

Through his shows and concerts he made wonderful financial contributions to local charities and worthy parochial objects and, as well, did much for the musical education of many generations of Castlebar children.

It is difficult to realise that this cheerful, generous personality has left the footlights for ever: that no more will be heard the famous signature tune ‘The Road to Castlebar’.

A self-made man, in his 48 years 'on the road' he was one of the best-known and most famous of Irishmen, and his untimely passing abroad will be mourned by all.

Journalist P.W. Leamy, who wrote the obituary for The Connaught Telegraph, said: One recalls many pleasant memories for those who danced to his several bands all over Ireland in the past 40 years.

In that time he played through four wars - World War I, the War of Independence, the Civil War and World War II.

He played in an age of jazz, played in the age of rock 'n’ roll. He failed to fulfil just one engagement and that was way back in the ‘troubled times’.

Stephen’s achievements would fill more that one book. In fact my memories of Stephen, wrote the author Leamy, would do the same, so that I can merely touch upon his remarkable career in this inadequate tribute.

Stephen was a lightly-built youngster during the years of World War I. After studying the piano with the late Miss McConnell, church organist, his services were begged for parties and ‘hods’. They were not called ‘hops’ then but ‘practice dances'.

Then came the days of the silent pictures. I remember Stephen playing in the Star Cinema, Castlebar, during the pictures. He had with him Johnnie Gavin and a violinist, Miss Kitty Burke, who is now in Castlerea.

Even before the cinema opened he was playing for dances and actually played in the building that was later a cinema while it had a cement floor which was in it when it was a bakery.

Stephen came more and more in regular demand by the time the war ended in 1913. The War of Independence had started in full swing and Stephen and his band played for dances to raise funds to help ‘the boys’. Travelling was not easy. British military and police were on the roads and it was ‘hell’ at any time, with a possible bullet if the order was given. Yet Stephen played on.

From time to time there were changes in personnel in the band but the name was the same - ‘Stephen Garvey Orchestra’.

A master of Irish music on the piano, Stephen delighted in playing for Irish dancers to the Lancers and Quadrilles, but it can be truly said that it was with the old-time waltz that he became famous.

Although the ragtime tunes of the early '20s, such as ‘Whispering’, and the left-over tunes of the war such as ‘Goodbye-ee’, were still in vogue, the favourite dance was the waltz and Stephen made it his speciality.

No matter what other band played, the dancers would say that only Stephen could play an old-time waltz in the proper tempo.

And they said this at a time when Stephen was competing against bands like that of John Clarke-Barry and Mitchell’s Alhambra, who had the best of Dublin string players included in their personnel.

When times got really troubled and transport from Dublin was really uncertain, Stephen came into his own. Further and further he went to places with strange-sounding names at that time, like Gurteen, Easkey, and so on.

He got better and better engagements and for the really good ones augmented his band with a saxophone player from Dublin. Well I remember that player, Tom Titherington, coming off the evening train and opening up his saxophone case. Everyone present was amazed that he could handle all the keys that were on the instrument, but he could, and did.

By this time Stephen’s brother, Tommie, took over the drums and effects. True, they were nothing like those of today (1962), but he made noises that delighted.

Then Stephen himself did his famous megaphone act. At that time there were no amplifiers and Stephen used a megaphone while beating out the rhythm with his right hand, held the megaphone in his left and sang and so the dances went on.

Jack Byrne of Galway became the violinist, succeeded by P.J. Giblin, now of Charlestown, and later by Charlie Reynolds. Johnnie Gavin was succeeded on trumpet by George Smith who was followed by Willie Keane.

Tommie Garvey went to America and was succeeded on the drums by Jimmie Garvey, who handed over the sticks when he later went ‘across the pond’, the new drummer being Danny McCormack.

NEXT WEEK: Stephen Garvey’s first pantomime and opera