Wikipedia

The Wolfe Tones

This article is about the Irish rebel band. For similar sounding terms, see Wolf tone (disambiguation). For the revolutionary leader and leader of the 1798 rebellion which the band is named after, see Wolfe Tone.

The Wolfe Tones are an Irish rebel music band that incorporate Irish traditional music in their songs. Formed in 1963, they take their name from Theobald Wolfe Tone, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1798, with the double meaning of a wolf tone; a sound that can affect instruments in the string family of the orchestra.[1][2]

The Wolfe Tones
OriginBluebell, Dublin, Ireland
GenresIrish folk, Irish rebel songs, rock
Years active1963–2025
LabelsSkin Music
MembersNoel Nagle
Brian Warfield
Tommy Byrne
Past membersLiam Courtney
Derek Warfield
Websitewolfetonesofficialsite.com

History

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1963–1964: Formation

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The origins of the group date back to August 1963, where three neighbouring children from the Dublin suburb of Inchicore, Brian Warfield, Noel Nagle, and Liam Courtney, had been musical friends from childhood. In August 1964, Brian's brother Derek Warfield joined the band, and in November 1964 Tommy Byrne replaced Courtney, creating the band's most recognizable line-up, which would last for nearly 37 years until January 2001.[3]

1964–2001

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In 1995, Derek Warfield released a solo studio album entitled Legacy as he was still eligible to record under his own name. With Derek on vocals and mandolin, the music on this album was performed by a new band, although he was still touring with the Wolfe Tones. Derek's solo releases continued annually until 2006.[4]

2001–present

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The Wolfe Tones continued to tour as a three-piece band.[5]

In 2022–2024, the band played shows in the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, the INEC Ireland, Broadway (Manhattan) in New York, the Atheneum Chicago and Electric Picnic.[6]

However, they announced their retirement in 2023, with a 60th-anniversary tour to conclude their career. As well as gigs in the US, the band played concerts at Galway Airport, Castlebar, Co. Mayo and in the 3Arena, with the band's advertised final gig taking place in Dublin on 13 October 2024.[7]

On 23 August 2024, the band released a final single, Goodbye to All Our Friends.[8].

Despite the 3Arena show being advertised as the bands final gig, the band announced two shows at Thomond Park in Limerick for July 2025, as well as a gig in Liverpool.[9][10]

Notable works

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The song "Irish Eyes" was written by Brian Warfield as a paean for his mother Kathleen who died of cancer the year prior to its release. A song about emigration to London entitled "My Heart is in Ireland" became a number 2 hit for the band. The song Celtic Symphony was written by Warfield in 1987 for the centenary of Celtic Football Club. Other songs written by the group include "Joe McDonnell", a song about the life and death of the Provisional IRA member Joe McDonnell, who was the fifth person to die on the 1981 Hunger Strike; and "The Protestant Men", a song about notable Protestant Irish nationalists. The band also covered "The Streets of New York", written by Liam Reilly from Bagatelle who was inspired by stories of the Tones' friendship with the NYPD[who?].

Footballer James McClean attracted criticism when he tweeted that he listened to their rendition of The Broad Black Brimmer before a match, a song in which a son learns of how his father was killed in fighting for the IRA. He was told by club manager Martin O'Neill to refrain from using Twitter.[11]

In 2002, after an allegedly orchestrated e-mail campaign by fans to "try and mess it up"[12][13] their rendition of "A Nation Once Again" by Thomas Osborne Davis was voted the number one song of all time in a BBC World Service poll.[14] The BBC hosts an artist's page for the band that includes excerpts of their songs.[15]

The band's 1982 hit Admiral William Brown pays homage to the Irish-born Argentine sailor William Brown.

In January 2020, the band's version of "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" reached No. 1 on the Ireland and UK iTunes charts, following criticism of the Irish government's planned commemoration of the RIC, as part of its 'Decade of Commemoration'.[16] As a result of this, on 10 January, the song entered the Irish Singles Chart at No. 33[17] and also debuted at No. 1 in the Scottish Singles Chart.[18]

Personnel

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Members

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Lineups

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August 1963 – August 1964 August 1964 – November 1964 November 1964 – January 2001 January 2001 – October 2024
  • Liam Courtney – guitars, vocals
  • Noel Nagle – tin whistle, low whistle, uileann pipes, vocals
  • Brian Warfield – banjo, whistle, harp, piano, guitars, bodhran, vocals
  • Liam Courtney – guitars, vocals
  • Noel Nagle – tin whistle, low whistle, uileann pipes, vocals
  • Brian Warfield – banjo, whistle, harp, piano, guitars, bodhran, vocals
  • Derek Warfield – mandolin, vocals
  • Noel Nagle – tin whistle, low whistle, uileann pipes, vocals
  • Brian Warfield – banjo, whistle, harp, piano, guitars, bodhran, vocals
  • Derek Warfield – mandolin, vocals
  • Tommy Byrne – guitars, vocals
  • Noel Nagle – tin whistle, low whistle, uileann pipes, vocals
  • Brian Warfield – banjo, whistle, harp, piano, guitars, bodhran, vocals
  • Tommy Byrne – guitars, vocals

Discography

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Main article: The Wolfe Tones discography
Studio albums

References

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  1. ^ "The Wolfe Tones - Irish folk band known for rebel songs". Irish Music Daily. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Johnson String Instrument - What are Wolf Tones?".
  3. ^ "The Wolfe Tones story". Irish folk songs.
  4. ^ "Derek Warfield". Derek Warfield The Young Wolfe Tones. The Young Wolfe Tones. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  5. ^ Rory Warfield. "Wolfetonesofficialsite.com". Wolfetonesofficialsite.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  6. ^ "'This tent is too small for them' – The Wolfe Tones attract record crowd at Electric Picnic". Independent.ie. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  7. ^ "The Wolfetones Shows and Tours". wolfetonesofficial. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  8. ^ Mallon, by Sandra; Updated (14 June 2024). "Wolfe Tones legend Brian Warfield writes emotional 'goodbye song' for final show". Dublin Live. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  9. ^ "The Wolfe Tones announce 'final farewell' show next year in Limerick". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  10. ^ "On the Waterfront presents The Wolfe as Friday Headliner for 2025". Explore Liverpool. 5 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  11. ^ "James McClean closes Twitter account after Wolfe Tones song row". Northern Ireland: BBC News. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  12. ^ Paterson, Michael (14 December 2002). "Late surge for Irish anthem in BBC poll". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  13. ^ Vivek Chaudhary, chief sports correspondent (3 December 2003). "Gaelic footballer's fans try to topple Jonny Wilkinson by rigging sport poll | Media". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2014. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ "BBC.co.uk". BBC News. 20 December 2002. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  15. ^ "Wolfe Tones - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music". BBC.
  16. ^ "Come Out Ye Black And Tans is number 1 in Irish and UK iTunes charts". The Irish Times. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Justin Bieber scores the highest new entry on the Official Irish Singles Chart with Yummy". Official Charts Company. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
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