The Dubliners live at The Gaiety, Dublin

The cynical amongst us might say it was a typical Shane MacGowan performance. Due to accompany The Dubliners on the fifth night of their week long residency at the Gaiety, MacGowan was conspicuously absent. Notices dotted around the venue reported his absence was due to “travel complications.” One can only imagine.

But tonight wasn’t about MacGowan, or even The Dubliners for that matter. Tonight was about the celebration and remembrance of Luke Kelly, now 20 years a resident of Glasnevin Cemetery. George Murphy stepped in for MacGowan, with his extraordinarily beautiful version of ‘On Raglan Road’ capturing the spirit of Kelly. True to form, the playing from The Dubliners was nothing short of superb. Throughout they showcased their talents as a cohesive unit on a range of jigs and reels as well as on ‘Molly Malone’, ‘Whiskey In The Jar’ and ‘Dirty Old Town’, all tunes perhaps selected with MacGowan in mind.

Their individual talents were also brought to the forefront. John Sheahan’s creative genius was particularly evident. Accompanying classical guitarist Michael Howard on the Mexican tune ‘The Sound Of Bells’, he added a newly written part which was subtle and gracious. Later, along with Paddy Campbell, Sheahan captured a moment with the poignant ‘Waltzing With An Angel’.

Barney McKenna wasn’t to be overshadowed either. The lively and humorous Dub delivered an exuberant ‘The Lark In The Air’ with Sheahan, before singing ‘I Wish I Had Someone To Love Me’.

Behind the group, a huge screen displayed images of Luke and old footage of him in performance with The Dubliners. They truly looked like the last gang in town with Kelly as their forceful and passionate leader. Unique to his country, Luke Kelly was a special talent, and this was a special night marked not only by great music, but by anecdotes, memories and poetry from people such as Liam Clancy. A fitting tribute to a man who can truly be described as an Irish legend.