It seems appropriate, following the recent column featuring the Mucky Duck Folk Club, Ewloe, and the sterling charity raising efforts of its Anglo-Irish resident band, The Celtic Notes, that we pause for a moment or two to pay tribute to a veritable giant of the Irish music scene, Danny Doyle, who sadly passed away, just over five weeks ago, at the age of 79.

Like many of his contemporaries and, indeed, his countrymen, Danny had crossed the Celtic Sea in order to make his fortune in the so-called "land of milk and honey" that was England. Alas, he found that London's streets were not paved with gold after all. If only Ralph McTell had written his now famous song before Danny caught the ferry, it may have saved him the trip and a lot of heartache! However, that was to come later, and Danny had to learn the hard way so, disillusioned, he returned to his native shores in the mid 1960s, despite the folk revival gaining pace behind him.

At this point his brother Michael, who would have none of it, decided to become his agent and, by using a large slice of Irish "Blarney" and storytelling, for which the Emerald Isle is justly famous, he embellished the craic, claiming Danny had been a sensation in the English folk clubs, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. Amazingly, it worked and, much like the prodigal son, he returned to the acclaim and adoration of his growing army of fans who were only too ready to welcome back their conquering hero.

Danny went on to capitalise on his good fortune, albeit a tad manufactured, and became a fixture in the Irish charts with an unheard of three number one hits, including the much loved classic, The Rare Old Times. The latter had the remarkable distinction of toppling ABBA's, Take a Chance on Me, from the top spot in 1978. Imagine that happening today? He became the Val Doonican of his time, but without the rocking chair, and went on to sell thousands of records, Worldwide. Perhaps, it was meant to be after his first single, Step it our Mary, reputedly written on the inside of a cement bag because there was no paper available on the building site, became his first Irish chart hit back in 1966. So, his brother Michael (or should I say Nostradamus) was spot on in his forecast of Danny's rise to stardom after all.

Born in Dublin in 1940, Daniel was one of eight children and like many of his generation, he grew up learning to sing the old Irish ballads, sung by his mother and great grandmother, and, at the time, he had the opportunity to listen to the last of the great Dublin street singers, who were soon to become a memory. He left school at 14 and went to work at a shop on the Raglan Road, which is, incidentally, the subject and title of another iconic Irish song. However, he hated the job and went to seek work at the Pike Theatre as an odd job man/stage hand but, more importantly, during his time there he picked up music from travelling musicians, whose songs and ballads of a romantic and rural Ireland, that was fast disappearing, instilled in him a desire to see what lay beyond his native city. After his successes in Ireland he decided to emigrate to the USA settling there with his wife Taffy in Virginia in 1983, He quickly became a great favourite of the Irish American community, culminating in one of his proudest moments when he appeared on an all Irish bill at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Time, as it does with all of us, crept up on silent wings and, after heart surgery in 2007, he was forced into retirement. However, his Gaelic, what we would call Hwyl, saw him flying the Irish tricolour one last time in 2016 when he devised, compèred and performed in a show in Philadelphia commemorating the centenary of the Easter Rising

Danny died, as he had lived, a true patriot who showed his love of his country through his music. Although he will go down in musical history with many as the Irish Folk Singer who knocked ABBA off the top of the charts, he was much more than that. He surely proved that tell-used phrase, "if at first you don't succeed, try again" does work and, also, "talent will out", could equally applied to his very successful career. Our world would have been a far poorer place without the music, the songs, the rich, velvet voice and the easy-going personality of Danny Doyle.

Maybe, next Monday (September 16) at the Mucky Duck Folk Club, Ewloe Social Club, Old Mold Road, Ewloe they will remember Danny when they welcome the Anglo-Irish band, Wet the Tea, as their guests at 8pm. Go along and join them and maybe you could all pay your own tribute by singing, together, one of his best-loved songs, Danny Boy.

Elsewhere, this coming week, there is another meeting of musicians and singers at the Llandegla All Styles Music Club on Monday (September 16) at 8pm that takes place at Llandegla Memorial Hall, Llandegla and is hosted by Barry Evans, ably supported by his wife Kath. They both do a great job keeping music live in their sometimes remote, but always beautiful, moorland retreat. Please keep supporting them whether you are a performer or just a mere member of the listening public.

Whilst today (September 13) there is another Soundbox promotion at the Lock Keeper, Canalside, Frodsham Street, Chester at 8pm featuring the Chris Cleverley Trio, as advised in this column last week, those who cannot make it might be more interested to note that next Friday (September 20), Soundbox do it all over again at the same venue with another legend, Chris Foster. Chris was in the second wave of the folk revival, but his contribution has been mentioned, alongside that of his perhaps more well-known contemporaries, Nic Jones and Martin Carthy, as being just as important. This is a 7.30pm start and tickets are available from all the usual websites.

Whatever you do, and wherever you go, enjoy your music.

By D.C.M.