Fermoy band celebrates 40 years with RTE archive appearance
Fermoy folk-rockers Loudest Whisper celebrated 40 years since they filmed an RTE special of their music, featuring on the RTE archive last Saturday.
Guitarist and singer Brian O’Reilly says the band were ‘ delighted’ with the reaction to RTE posting footage of the band performing their song ‘You and I’ on their online archive 40 years to the day after the national broadcaster devoted a half-hour special to the Fermoy band.
“The fact that it’s 40 years ago last Saturday is amazing,” Mr O’Reilly said. “We’ve had a fantastic reaction to it.”
Mr O’Reilly said the band retain fond memories of recording the television show after they were contacted by RTE producer Conor McAnally, who was a fan of their music.
“We recorded six songs, mostly in the RTE studios, but one in Mocollop Cemetery near Ballyduff with Geraldine singing a song entitled ‘Old Friend John’,” Mr O’Reilly said.
“It was a lovely special: as well as the songs, myself and my brother Paud (the band’s drummer) were interviewed for it.
In all we did six songs: ‘ You and I’, ‘Magic Carpet’, ‘Old Friend John’, ‘She Moved Through the Fair’, ‘Nightime in the City’ and ‘Home’.
Singer and guitarist Geraldine Walshe joined Mr O’Reilly on the upbeat lovesong ‘ You and I’ in an exerpt from the special, featured on the RTE website last Saturday.
Loudest Whisper have not exactly disappeared into retirement: during the lockdown last year, they released a new song, ‘Isolation Blues’, recorded in Mr O’Reilly’s Fermoy recording studio, Studio Fiona.
However, as for all musicians and performers in the past year, Mr O’Reilly says the band are now biding their time until Covid restrictions are over and are looking forward to resuming live performances.
“We were working on our ‘Children of Lir ‘concert before the lockdown and we had a lot of interest in it, and had gigs booked at festivals. Covid has been a complete disaster for musicians, but hopefully it will be over soon.”