Singer Johnny Logan makes a return to his roots
JOHNNY Logan returned to his roots last week when taking on a walkabout of the Drogheda Town Centre - the place where he grew up!
The Eurovision legend is featuring in a new TV series called ‘Keys of my Life’ and came to Drogheda to relive old memories.
In was in late 1967 that the family purchased the West Street pub premises of Messrs. Sheridans.
His father was Derry born tenor, Patrick O’Hagan, and he was the first Irish singer on the opening day of Telefis Eireann in 1961.
His rendering of Irish songs made his one of Ireland’s best known international artistes, and he won acclaim as far away as Australia and New Zealand.
“I have been contemplating buying my own business for quite some time now. My people own a pub in Derry, and so it was natural I should settle for the same type of business,’ he stated at the time.
But Why Drogheda? “A good friend of mine, Tom Herbert from Limerick, had been looking out for something suitable for me, and he told me that Drogheda was the most progressive town in the country. When this property came on the market I at once decided to buy it,” he stated.
Johnny’s mum, Eily—was herself the daughter of a famous Kilkenny All-Ireland hurler, Matt Gargan.
The young Johnny - real name Sean Sherrard - was 14 at the time and he got his love of music from playing in his father’s pub, which also included the Theatre Club, which backed onto Stockwell Street. O’Hagan’s was situated at No.22, now an ice cream parlour.
In late 1969, Sean, then an accomplished goalkeeper, was playing with the St Joseph’s GAA team and enjoyed a lot of success.
With Damien Berrill, Joe Donoghue, Frank Taaffe, Joe Rock, Neil 0’Dowd, Kevin Walsh and Desmond Smyth, they made it to the semi-final of the Leinster Colleges u/17 C’ship, losing to St Fintan’s of Sutton, 2-5 to 1-4.
The team was Sean Sherrard, P. Rice. J. Bird, D. Berrill, K. Coyle, K Walsh, F. Taaffe, J. Donoghue, N. O’Dowd, D. Smith, J. Rock, M. Gargan, M. Kerans. Subs— D. Carolan for Gargan, and J. Byrne for Carolan.
The pub was closed in November 1972 when it was sold to Rampart Holdings, the company which was planning to build a vast shop, office and hotel complex on the site.