The Irish “troubles” have largely been solved, but world problems are still plaguing The Irish Rovers.
The group best known for the beer song Wasn’t That a Party, the whimsical ditty The Unicorn, and novelty tune Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, can’t find much that’s upbeat about cross-country travel these days.
In the decade since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S., it’s become far too onerous to move equipment through airports, said band member George Millar.
With all the patting down and electronic scanning required by security personnel, “imagine nine people going through an airport with 30 pieces of equipment — it’s a logistical nightmare!” he added.
“We have to arrive three hours before flight time. That means four o’clock in the morning for a 7 a.m. flight. It’s just too difficult.”
Travel hassles are one reason the group decided to quit touring by 2015. Another reason is that, by then, The Irish Rovers will be celebrating 50 years as a band, which Millar figures is a ripe age for semi-retirement.
This group’s upcoming tour, to be accomplished mainly by bus, “might be our last swing through Alberta,” said Millar. They will perform some traditional songs, covers and original music on Sept. 24 at Red Deer’s Memorial Centre.
If so, it will seem the end of an era for anyone who remembers the band from its television variety show days on the CBC in the 1970s.
Among the earliest fans of The Irish Rovers were a couple of professional hockey playing brothers, recalled Millar, who is now 64. He remembers meeting the “giants” at a pub the band owned in Vancouver in the mid-’80s.
“These two came up to us — they must have been six-foot-eight, with these huge hands — and they said, ‘It’s good to meet you. You’re the reason we behaved. . . . If we were ever bad on a Sunday, our mom and dad would say “No Irish Rovers on TV on Sunday night.’ ”
Hearing such fans wax nostalgic about his group makes nearly half a century of performing worthwhile, said Millar.
Another sweetener, over the years, has been the “magic” of the music, itself.
Whether the Rovers are crooning about blood-thirsty battles or heartbreak, there’s usually something ridiculously infectious about their tunes. “We’re sort of like polka music — you can’t stop tapping your toes,” said Millar, who lives with his second wife (his first wife died) on Vancouver Island.
The native of Ballymena, Ireland, was barely 16 when he formed a trio with his cousin Joe Millar and Jimmy Ferguson, another Irish emigré, living in Toronto. After moving to Calgary and joining forces with George Millar’s older brother, Will, The Irish Rovers were born.
Soon the group became a staple at the Depression folk club that helped start Joni Mitchell’s career.
By 1966, The Irish Rovers were signed to Decca Records and had gained musician Wilcil McDowell. Their global hit, a cover of Shel Silverstein’s The Unicorn, was followed by successful singles The Orange and the Green and Whiskey on a Sunday.
The Irish-born musicians became Canadian citizens at the urging of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau so they could represent Canada around the world — and they did. By the time the 1980s wrapped up, the group had recorded 25 albums and played for Canada at five world Expos.
There were many membership changes over the years — Will Millar left in 1994 to focus on his artwork, Ferguson died in 1997 and Joe Millar retired in 2005. As well, the group was known only as The Rovers through the 1980s.
But the playful spirit of the band has carried on despite adjustments, said Millar, who still performs with McDowell, as well as newer members John Reynolds, Sean O’Driscoll, his cousin Ian Millar and Fred Graham.
“People still pay to come see you and they don’t care if you’ve sung a song a thousand times. They still want to hear it.”
Millar has heard fans holler for his band’s cover of the Randy Brooks ditty Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer at concerts in July.
“I’ll say, ‘That’s a Christmas song!’ but they’ll still want to hear it, so we’ll usually give in and sing a chorus.”
The Irish Rovers are currently recording two CDs — The Drunken Sailor and a Christmas album to be called A Merry, Merry Time of Year.
“One day, I’m putting on a pirate’s eye patch, the next day a Santa hat,” quipped Millar.
Tickets to the 7 p.m. concert are $42.50 from Ticket Central at 403-347-0800.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com