Late music manager Frank Murray to be celebrated with February showcase

The memory of Frank Murray, the legendary Irish music figure, will be celebrated at a public gig at the Irish Cultural Centre in London, on the evening of February 4th, 2022. Frank Murray was the road manager for many years with Thin Lizzy, before going on to manage The Frames, The Pogues, and The Lost Brothers, among others.

The evening show will feature the talents of the brilliant Christine Tobin and The Lost Brothers and will run from 8pm. Tickets are now on sale now, starting at €30.

Irish vocalist and composer Christine Tobin hails from Dublin and has been part of the London jazz and improvising scene since the late '80s. She drew critical acclaim in 2012 for the release of Sailing to Byzantium, which featured the poems of W.B. Yeats composed to music. Tobin later delivered an album of her settings of poems and lyrics by contemporary Pulitzer Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon, titled Pelt (2016).

The Lost Brothers were formed by Mark McCausland and Oisin Leech, formerly of The Basement and The 747s. The band were managed by Frank Murray. Last year, just as lockdown hit, the duo released their critically lauded album After The Fire After The Rain. The pair will finally get to perform these songs in a live setting in February. The Lost Brothers have been celebrated internationally for their song-craft and harmonies, and intend to bring their talents to the Irish Cultural Centre in 2022 to mark their former manager's contribution to the music world.

The Irish Cultural Centre is an intimate space, so get your tickets ahead of time if possible.

For the uninitiated, Frank was a seminal figure in Irish rock music, who first came to prominence as a key member of the Thin Lizzy camp. For many years, he was the band’s tour manager and worked closely alongside Philip Lynott. When his involvement with Lizzy ended, Frank took on a similar role with Elton John and The Specials and, later on, he managed The Frames, overseeing their signing to ZTT Records; Kirsty McColl; and most famously, The Pogues.

He was centrally involved in the conception of what is the greatest Christmas song of them all, bringing Kirsty McColl (since deceased) on board to work with The Pogues on the magnificent ‘Fairytale of New York’.

A highly intelligent and cultured individual, along the way he also managed Rí Rá and the late Bap Kennedy. He spent over half a decade in the US, where he worked in theatre and movies, acting as Executive Producer on the highly rated Come On Eileen, which starred Noel Fielding, Mercedes Grower, Julia Davis and Keith Allen. More recently, he had managed The Mighty Stef and The Lost Brothers and he was also involved in the career of Temper Mental Misselayneous.

On the same day, friends and family of the renowned music manager from the world of film, literature, theatre, the arts and business will gather for a private event to share memories and songs.

The celebration of Murray's life will mark the unveiling of 'Scaradh', a sculpture by Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) artist Michael Quane. Born in 1962, the sculptor lives and works in Cork. The Aosdána member has exhibited throughout Ireland, the UK, Europe, and the US. He was elected a full member of the RHA in 2004.

Commissioned by Frank's brother, Brian, the title of the piece translates to "separation". From the following day, the sculpture will be on view to visitors in the Irish Cultural Centre.

'The Making of Scaradh' is the subject of a short film by documentary maker Sé Merry Doyle. Doyle set up Loopline Film in 1982 as a base to make creative documentaries, with much of his work focusing on the Irish capital and its inhabitants. Merry Doyle’s most personal film, Alive Alive O – A Requiem for Dublin (2001) follows the plight of Dublin’s street traders as the scourge of heroin and an onslaught of commercialism destroy their fragile culture. His feature documentary John Ford – Dreaming the Quiet Man (2010) screened in festivals worldwide and was awarded Best European Documentary for the AFI Best of Europe season. Other works by Merry Doyle include 2010's Lament for Patrick Ireland (2010) and Jimmy Murakami – Non-Alien, 2004's Patrick Kavanagh – No Man’s Fool and James Gandon – A Life (1996).

Revisit: Hot Press' Final Farewell to Frank Murray.

Photo credit: Des McMahon