MARR’S THE MERRIER
Smiths guitar legend’s joy at gig in Irish venue where parents met
FORMER Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is set to play at the Irish venue where his parents met in the early 1960s.
Dad John Joseph Maher and mum Frances Patricia Doyle are both from Athy and moved to Manchester to start a new life for themselves as a young couple.
Johnny, who changed his surname to avoid confusion with Buzzcocks drummer John Maher, will play the Dreamland Ballroom on June 25, with tickets going on sale tomorrow.
It marks the 60-year-old’s return to his family home following his visit there in 2018 to unveil a plaque on Emily Square celebrating his roots in the Kildare town.
The plaque is part of the Made in Athy project, and speaking to RTE Entertainment at the time, Marr said: “It’s kind of almost overwhelming seeing these faces that have turned out, and some of them look like me as well which is kind of amazing.
“I’m meeting some of my cousins and my relatives so, on a personal level, it’s beautiful.” When asked if he would seek Irish citizenship, he said: “If they’ll take me, I’m on board. If they’ll have me, I’m around!”
The mother of Stone Roses bass player Mani also hails from Athy and was friends with Marr’s mum Frances. Marr shot to fame as axesmith with The Smiths – widely acclaimed as the most influential guitar band of the 80s, at least on this side of the Atlantic.
The Dreamland Ballroom was opened by brothers Jim and – future Taoiseach – Albert Reynolds in July 1961 with a show by Victor Sylvester and boasted a “nearly 5,000 sq ft” dancefloor.
In early 1971, the brothers sold the ballroom to their major competitor, Associated Ballrooms, and it was renamed the Sunflower Ballroom and reopened in September 1971 with a show by the Royal Showband.
As the ballroom circuit began waning, the Dreamland was sold in 1982 and for the last 35 years it has been used as a community centre.
It has since been renamed ARCH (Athy Recreational Community Hall) and continues to play a big role in the local community.