The Dolphin Music Group has been a dominant force in Irish music for over 50 years, initially through its chain of retail stores and also through its broad catalogue of Irish recordings on both the Dolphin and, later, the Dara label – which Paul O’Reilly set up with his brother Joe as a more contemporary imprint to launch the illustrious recording career of Mary Black. More recently Dolphin Music Group has become the distributor for the more recently-established Triu Records (see panel).

Over the years, DMG has enjoyed outstanding successes on both the Dolphin and Dara labels with such monumental hits as the Woman’s Heart series of albums, as well as top-selling and quality releases by renowned acts like Mary Black, Frances Black, Liam Clancy, Phil Coulter, Johnny McEvoy, Sonny Knowles and Paddy Reilly to name a few. They have also enjoyed considerable success with their trad, folk and showband compilations including The Legends of Irish Folk series, the Ronan Collins Collections and, more recently, Eistigi (The Essential Traditional Irish Music Collection). They are also home to the contemporary talents of the late Eva Cassidy, the unique Jack L, Kieran Goss, Sinead Lohan and the remarkable Michele Ann Kelly.
Paul O’Reilly is the son of the late Joe O’Reilly, founder of the Dolphin Discs record stores and Dolphin Record label. He has inherited his father’s professional work ethic and optimistic commitment to Irish music. But how can he be optimistic at a time of worldwide recession, with the record industry itself suffering from a downward sales spiral?
“I happen to believe that not only do Irish people love music, but they love Irish music,” he rsponds. “People around the world love Irish music too. Our music is one of the main reasons tourists come to Ireland. Travel anywhere in the world and you’ll find that Ireland is primarily associated with music in a very positive and passionate way. I don’t find any lessening in that interest either at home or abroad and all the signs tell me that there is still a significant market out there for our music. I feel that if music is marketed and distributed properly it can sell to existing fans and attract new fans too.”
One could argue that if anybody can drive a resurgence of interest in Irish music Dolphin can, not least because of their proven commitment to the scene here over the years but also because they have five decades of experience to weigh in behind any campaign to promote new projects. And according to O’Reilly there’s no shortage of fresh projects.
“Joe and I have decided to release a new Woman’s Heart double CD coming out in a few weeks,” he reveals. “It’s based around a “then and now” theme. It will include all the original artists from the first album with some of the bright new high profile female talent of today’s music scene. It will include some specially recorded and previously unreleased new tracks. This mix will make the project relevant to a new generation of Irish music fans as well as to the established market. To me, the whole music business is about the songs. For example, Michele Ann Kelly has some terrific songs on her debut album Songs That Saved My Life which we released last year. We want to push that album onto the international market as well as see her gigging more in Ireland. She’s a prolific songwriter with a unique voice and is the kind of artist that once you see her live and experience her astonishing voice you’re hooked and just want to hear more.”
O’Reilly clearly has considerable faith in Kelly as a terrific performer and songwriter and is delighted with the news that she is currently writing new songs with no other than the esteemed Paul Brady.
Other projects he tells me about include an album of specially-recorded children’s songs, and a new CD and DVD by Johnny McEvoy to coincide with a forthcoming TV special The Johnny McEvoy Story, to be broadcast on RTÉ in October. There’s a new single by Chloe Coyle, the winner of the All-Ireland Talent Show on RTÉ, and that was written for her by Phil Coulter. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without a Ronan Collins CD, and this year will see the release of a Love Songs Collection. There are also plans for 100 Irish Hits – a five- CD Collection, as well as the Ultimate Brendan Bowyer, 50th Anniversary Collection – a double album. Also, this Christmas, Dolphin Goes Country with a Mick Flavin compilation!
New releases aside, the Dolphin catalogue is now a veritable treasury of fifty years of the best Irish music and it should benefit from the recent resurgence of interest in indigenous Irish music. As O’Reilly explains, “Our catalogue contains thousands of recordings with most of the top names in Irish music going back to the sixties. These include recordings by Emmet Spiceland with Donal Lunny, as well as Dolores Keane, The Wolfe Tones, The Dublin City Ramblers, Johnny McEvoy, Paddy Reilly, Sean Dunphy, Jim McCann and many more. Ronnie Drew’s son Phelim told me that Ronnie’s own favourite solo album was our Guaranteed Ronnie Drew album.”
That commitment to Irish ballads continues with the label getting behind the Kilkennys, comprising Davey and Adam Cashin, Tommy Mackey and Rob Campion, whose popularity is spreading across the land thanks to constant gigging and an impressive online presence.
And it’s not just the popular acts that give the Dolphin catalogue its strength. There’s also a comprehensive range of Irish songs and instrumentals virtually impossible to find anywhere else. As O’Reilly tells me, “If you mention any Irish song or tune, from ‘Carrickfergus’ and ‘The Rare old Times’ to the less well known ‘Chief O’Neills Favourites’ or ‘O’Carolans Draught’, it’s almost certain we have a quality version in our catalogue. In some cases we could have the original as well as several other versions in different styles. The Dolphin catalogue has the original hit version of ‘The Fields of Athenry’ by Paddy Reilly among many massive hits from the past. These songs are still hugely popular worldwide and our challenge is to market them to the people who love them. I’ve also trawled through our archives and discovered recordings that were never released, or had been totally forgotten about. There is so much quality material there, and the income from sales of our back catalogue enables us to invest in new Irish artists and projects.”
O’Reilly is astute enough to accept that the wide-ranging changes in the music environment impact heavily on the way music is both marketed and distributed. “We have to find new, inventive ways of marketing our catalogue to the customers I believe are still there. But that’s all part of the challenge ahead. The music industry has changed hugely, especially with the recession over the past two years and we all have to rethink how we do business from here on in. Part of the way forward is to create new alliances in different areas including media, TV and radio, or wherever possible. In many ways, this is the most challenging time for music that we’ve ever been through, but with the right approach opportunities will present themselves.”
To that end, Dolphin recently commenced a ‘Love Irish Music’ campaign which they propose to further promote this Christmas and expect that it will be supported by media, retail and consumers.
The Dolphin MD also feels that the Irish country music market is stronger than ever and has yet to achieve its full potential. “In the distant past some Irish country artists may not have been well served by the quality of their record production but this is no longer the case. In the last few years there has been a resurgence in country music. Some of the country artists in our catalogue include Gene Stuart, Brendan Quinn and the Mighty Avons, Cotton Mill Boys, Sean Dunphy and The Hoedowners who are all first rate. He also relates how he recently came across unreleased masters for over a dozen tracks for a country album by Johnny McEvoy singing the best songs of Hank Williams.
“This is one album that has to come out before long. We plan to revitalise, re-brand and re-release the Dolphin country catalogue. We are also delighted to add to our release schedule for Christmas a double album called The Travellin’ Years – The Essential Mick Flavin,” he says.
Assisting Dolphin in their plans over the coming months will be Freddie Middleton, former Irish boss of RCA and BMG, who will be handling the PR for some of the label’s key projects. Paul O’Reilly points out, “Freddie has terrific marketing experience at the top of the industry and I’m confident he can give us the marketing edge we need in these competitive times. His involvement with Dolphin at this time is ironic, as I think Freddie’s first full-time job in the music industry was when my father took him on in our retail shop in Dundrum Shopping Centre.”
O’Reilly’s own debut in the music industry was also on the retail side, serving behind the counter in the Dolphin shop on Dublin’s Stephen’s Street. “I was about eleven and still in short pants, but my parents were getting me my first pair of long pants for Christmas. But they got them for me early so I could work behind the counter for Christmas. Working in retail and dealing with the public is a terrific way of learning what the music business is all about.”
That tradition continues today, with his own two sons Michael and Simon working in their outlet in Talbot Street. That outlet also benefits greatly from the expertise Paul and Joe’s brother Ger brings to the business. Ger is a valued member of the board of the Dolphin Music Group, and he can draw on a vast wealth of experience of the retail music trade gained over many years.
Despite his optimism about the future of Dolphin in particular and Irish music in general O’Reilly is not blind to the difficulties in the marketplace. As he elaborated to Hot Press, “Apart from the recession, I believe there are two main issues that are working against us. One is the retail area, where there has been a massive reduction in the number of shops selling records, and those that do giving less space to music. This is where we need to be inventive, seeking out new angles and opportunities and new outlets for our products.”
And the second obstacle? “Radio airplay is still a big problem. The other day I was reading The New Spotlight magazine from 1967 and there was a piece in it complaining about Irish radio stations not playing Irish music! This problem has been with us since back then. Despite the international success of Irish music and musicians since then and the high esteem Irish artists are held in at home and all over the world, we still have to go cap-in-hand to radio stations to get support for Irish music. Radio should be a vital tool in the development of indigenous music. As I said earlier Irish people love Irish music and I feel that commercially this market is being neglected. Irish music is not just a significant part of our heritage it also has much to contribute to our economy and its value should not be under-estimated, as it is needed now more than ever.”

Dolphin Music will be exhibiting at the Music Show, which takes place in the RDS, Dublin on October 2 and 3.