We sat down for an exclusive interview with Ged Graham to talk about Seven Drunken Nights – The Story of the Dubliners – which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Performed by a phenomenal cast of Irish musicians, the show is packed full of classics guaranteed to get your toes tapping as they bring the joy of this much-loved Irish folk band back to the stage. This ultimate feel-good production celebrates the musical mastery of The Dubliners, Ireland’s favourite sons, in association with the legendary O’Donoghue’s pub.
Seven Drunken Nights is on tour from 6th March-29th July. Tickets here.
Seven Drunken Nights is now celebrating ten years on tour. When you first created the show, what inspired you to tell the story of The Dubliners on stage?
The music of The Dubliners has always been part of my life from being a young boy growing up in Dublin in the 60s and witnessing the rise of The Dubliners, especially in 1967 when they exploded onto the scene with Seven Drunken Nights. Hearing ’stars’ that share the voice and accents of the people around me was a revelation. They made you feel that the music and songs you were brought up on were relevant and something to be proud of. I suppose they gave me a voice and the inspiration to be me.
Why do you think the music of The Dubliners continues to resonate with audiences across generations?
The music of The Dubliners still resonates because their music was and still is real and truthful and a little be irreverent. It’s fun and accessible and within the songs and tunes there is a sense of pride in our shared Irish heritage.
Many audience members arrive already knowing and loving these songs. How do you keep them feeling fresh and alive in performance?
If the songs are sung with heart and soul they are still fresh and new and that is what we try to do every night. Because we as a cast love the material it shows in our performance. They are living and breathing entities that strike a chord with our audience.
What does it mean to you personally to celebrate Irish musical heritage in this way?
To have the opportunity every night to go on stage and represent our heritage is a real privilege. So we are not going to let that down. It gives me the chance to show the world what it means to be an Irish musician, show my passion and humour and breath life into the songs.
The show invites audiences to sing along and share in the music. What do you hope people feel when they leave the theatre?
I want the audience to go away feeling happier than when they walked in. There is so much darkness in the world I want to give the audience two hours of fun, laughter, a bit of sadness, to be uplifted and go away with some great memories.