Horslips facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Horslips
Horslips performing at the 2014 Black Sheep Festival in Germany
Background information
Origin	Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Celtic rock, progressive rock
Years active	1970–1980 2004–present (intermittent)
Members	Eamon Carr Barry Devlin John Fean Jim Lockhart Charles O'Connor Ray Fean

Horslips are an Irish Celtic rock band. They create and perform songs inspired by traditional Irish music, like jigs and reels. Many people see them as the "founding fathers of Celtic rock." This is because they mixed traditional Irish music with rock music. They started in 1970 and stopped playing together in 1980 for a long time. The band's name came from a funny twist on "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." It became "The Four Poxmen of The Horslypse."

Even though Horslips didn't become super famous in the 1970s, people became very interested in their music again in the late 1990s. They are now seen as one of the most important bands in Celtic rock. Since then, they have had small reunions. They have appeared on TV shows like The Late Late Show and RTÉ's Other Voices. The band got back together for two big shows in Ireland in 2009. They have continued to play concerts since then.

Meet the Band Members

• Jim Lockhart (born 3 February 1948) is from Dublin. He studied Economics and Politics in college. He plays keyboards, pipes, whistles, and flute. He also sang on some songs, mostly in the Manx or Irish languages.
• Eamon Carr (born 12 November 1948) is from Kells, County Meath. He helped start a poetry and performance group in Dublin in the late 1960s. He is the band's drummer.
• Charles O'Connor (born 7 September 1948) is from Middlesbrough in the UK. He plays the concertina, mandolin, fiddle, and electric and slide guitar. He also shares the main singing duties with Barry Devlin and Johnny Fean.
• Barry Devlin (born 27 November 1946) is from Ardboe in County Tyrone. He used to train to be a priest. He later studied English and worked as a screenwriter. He is the band's bass player and also sings. He is often seen as the band's unofficial leader.
• Johnny Fean (17 November 1951 – 28 April 2023) grew up in Limerick and Shannon. He became very good at playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica. He loved rock and blues music. He played in several bands before joining Horslips. His guitar heroes were Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

How Horslips Started and Grew

Becoming a Band

Barry Devlin, Eamon Carr, and Charles O'Connor first met while working at an advertising company in Dublin. They were asked to pretend to be a band for a Harp Lager commercial. They needed a keyboard player, and Devlin suggested Jim Lockhart. The four had so much fun that they decided to become a real rock band. They added guitarist Declan Sinnott and, for a short time, Gene Mulvaney. They formed Horslips (originally Horslypse) in 1970.

The band became professional on St Patrick's Day in 1972. They released their first single, "Johnny's Wedding," on their own record label called Oats. Declan Sinnott left the band soon after. He was replaced by Gus Guest, who played on their second single, "Green Gravel." Gus Guest also left quickly. Then, Johnny Fean joined the band. This completed the "classic" Horslips lineup that would play on all their future albums.

Their Main Music Career

Creating Their Albums

Horslips did many things themselves. They designed their own album covers. They wrote notes for their albums and researched the old legends they used for their concept albums. They even started their own record label, Oats. They stayed based in Ireland, which was different from other Irish bands at the time.

Their First Album

In October 1972, Horslips went to Longfield House in Tipperary. They recorded their first album, Happy to Meet – Sorry to Part, there. They used the famous Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. On this album, most of the songs used traditional Irish melodies. Jim Lockhart played keyboards and learned to play other instruments like uilleann pipes. Eamon Carr played drums, including the Irish bodhrán. Happy To Meet, Sorry To Part became the fastest-selling album in Ireland for eight years. The album cover was a cool, fold-out design.

The Táin Album

The Abbey Theatre in Dublin asked the band to create music for a play. The play was based on "The Táin." The band loved this idea. "Táin Bó Cúailnge" (The Cattle-Raid of Cooley) is a very old Irish story. It tells about an ancient war between two parts of Ireland, Ulster and Connacht. Horslips released their album The Táin in 1973. This album had more original songs and focused more on rock music. In the same year, their song "Dearg Doom" became number one in Germany.

Later Albums and US Tours

Dancehall Sweethearts came out in 1974. It also mixed folk and rock music. Their fourth album, The Unfortunate Cup of Tea, sounded more like pop music and was not as popular. In 1975, they released Drive The Cold Winter Away. This album was their most traditional one yet. They then signed with DJM Records. The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony (1976) was another album based on Irish legends. It was their only album to reach the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 39 in 1977.

The band wanted to become famous in the United States. In 1977, they released Aliens. This album was about the experiences of Irish people who moved to America in the 1800s. They toured Britain, Germany, Canada, and the United States. One critic said their show at the Royal Albert Hall in London was the loudest since Jimi Hendrix. The Man Who Built America (1978) was also about Irish people moving to the US. It got a lot of radio play. The band's sound became heavier, which helped them in America. However, they started to lose their folk music fans.

Short Stories, Tall Tales (1979) was their last studio album. It did not get good reviews from their record company or music critics.

Their Final Concert

During a difficult time in Ireland called The Troubles, Horslips played concerts in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. They were welcomed everywhere. Their last recordings were from live shows in Belfast in April and May 1980. A few months later, on 12 October 1980, they played their final concert in the Ulster Hall. They didn't announce they were breaking up. They just played one last song, the Rolling Stones' "The Last Time." Charles O'Connor then threw his broken fiddle into the audience. Ten years after they formed, the band stopped playing together.

What the Band Members Did Next

After Horslips ended, some members continued to make music. Johnny Fean, Eamon Carr, and others formed a band called Zen Alligators in 1980. They played rock and soul music. Another group called Host included Fean, O'Connor, and Carr. They released one album.

Barry Devlin released a solo album in 1983. Jim Lockhart helped him with it. Lockhart and Devlin also worked together on the theme song for the TV show Glenroe.

Johnny Fean later played guitar with an English band called Jacobites. He also sometimes played with a Horslips tribute band.

In 1990, the guitar intro from Horslips' song "Dearg Doom" was used for "Put 'Em Under Pressure." This was Ireland's song for the 1990 World Cup. Many people in Ireland know this part of the song better than the original.

Charles O'Connor released an instrumental album in 1997.

Other Activities

• Johnny Fean continued to play live music.
• Eamon Carr became a producer for young rock bands in the 1980s. He also started his own record label. He later became a music and sports journalist.
• Barry Devlin became a director for TV and a writer for radio and TV. He directed some U2 music videos. He also wrote for TV shows like Ballykissangel and The Darling Buds of May.
• Jim Lockhart became a head of production at RTÉ 2fm, a radio station.
• Charles O'Connor owns antique shops in Whitby, England. He also continued to record folk music.

Music Rights and Comebacks

For many years, a man named William McBurney received money from Horslips' music sales. He claimed he bought the rights from their former manager. However, the quality of these music releases was often poor. The band members were unhappy about this. They fought back and, in 1999, won a court case. They got back the rights to their music and a large payment. Horslips now fully controls their music. They re-released all their old albums on CD in 2000/2001 with better artwork and sound.

First Comeback: 2004 to 2006

In 2004, some Horslips fans organized an exhibition of band items in Derry. The band members opened it and played five songs acoustically (without electric instruments). This was their first public performance in 24 years. This encouraged Horslips to go back to the studio. They made an acoustic album called Roll Back in 2004. It had acoustic versions of their well-known songs.

The exhibition later moved to other cities in Ireland. In December 2005, the band played for a TV show called Other Voices. They played three songs with electric instruments. This was the first time they had played live and electric since 1980.

Reunion Tours: 2009 to 2012

On 2 July 2009, Horslips announced they would play two public concerts. These were their first big shows since 1980. They played in Belfast and Dublin in December. Drummer Eamon Carr did not play these concerts for personal reasons. Johnny Fean's brother, Ray Fean, took his place. Recordings from these shows were released on a DVD/CD called 'Live at the O2'.

The band played more concerts in Ireland in November and December 2010. They also played at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow in 2011. They were special guests at the Fairport's Cropredy Convention festival in August 2011.

On St Patrick's Day 2011, the band played a concert with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast. Later that year, they played at the London Feis festival. They shared the stage with famous artists like Van Morrison and Bob Dylan.

Final Concerts

On 3 June 2012, Horslips played as the main act at the Rory Gallagher Tribute Festival. In August, they played two shows with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Ireland's National Concert Hall.

Book and Album

On 4 November 2013, Horslips released their biography called Tall Tales. The book was written by Mark Cunningham and included interviews with the band. A double album called Biography, featuring all the band's singles released outside Ireland, was also released. In 2014, Horslips played at Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland and in Limerick.

After Horslips (Recent Years)

In March 2019, Barry Devlin and Jim Lockhart played at an event in Dublin. It celebrated a student protest from 50 years before.

In May 2019, Barry Devlin, Johnny Fean, and Jim Lockhart, with Ray Fean on drums, played two concerts in Belfast. Charles O'Connor had retired from music. These shows were promoted as 'Barry Devlin, Johnny Fean & Jim Lockhart from Horslips'.

Johnny Fean passed away in April 2023.

Horslips Albums

Studio Albums

• Happy to Meet – Sorry to Part (1972)
• The Táin (1973)
• Dancehall Sweethearts (1974)
• The Unfortunate Cup of Tea (1975)
• Drive the Cold Winter Away (1975)
• The Book of Invasions (1976)
• Aliens (1977)
• The Man Who Built America (1978)
• Short Stories/Tall Tales (1979)
• Roll Back (2004)

Live Albums

• Horslips Live (1976)
• The Belfast Gigs (1980)
• Live at the O2 (2010)
• Live with the Ulster Orchestra (2011)

Other Albums and Books

• Tracks from the Vaults (Compilation, 1977)
• The Horslips Story - Straight from the Horse's Mouth (Compilation, 1989)
• Treasury (Compilation, 2009)
• Biography (Compilation, 2013)
• More Than You Can Chew (Box Set, 2023)
• Tall Tales (Book, 2013)