John Illsley

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John Illsley (born on 24 June 1949, in Leicester, England) was the bass player for the British rock band Dire Straits.

Introduced to lead singer and guitarist Mark Knopfler by Mark's brother, David Knopfler, Illsley was one of just two original band members remaining when it broke up in 1995.

He also released two albums of his own, Never Told A Soul in 1984 and Glass in 1988. His first album had clear Dire Straits influences, however, his style had notably changed by the second. Mark Knopfler contributed some of the guitar parts on both issues.

In 2005 Illsley happened upon an Irish Celtic rock group called Cunla, who were playing at a friends party in the UK. For the first time since '93 he took to the stage and played a couple of Dire Straits numbers with the band. They struck up a friendship and Cunla played at Illsley's place in Hampshire. He then appeared with them on several occasions in their hometown of Mullingar, most notably at The Stables venue, and he has since become a 'member' of the group alonside Irishmen Greg Perle on vocals and guitar, Johnny Owens on violin, fiddle and electric guitar, Jason Carroll on bass and Stephen O'Keeffe on drums and percussion. They have a heady, energetic Celtic rock sound and in their early days had a reputation as being a hellraising band who took no prisoners. Illsley has tamed them somewhat and they have recorded together, and played gigs in select places, including a couple in France. They cover a couple of Dire Straits numbers, albeit in an Irish style, with Johnny Owens replacing all keyboards and brass parts with traditional Irish violin. They also have a large amount of their own material, much of it penned by Perle. They are due to return to Grouse Lodge Studios in Rosemount, Co Westmeath where Michael Jackson has just finished recording his comeback. The residential studio has also played host to hundreds of bands over the years, from Doves to Snow Patrol, Bonnie Raitt to Muse...

Cunla are playing a big Mullingar gig on November 18th, 2006 at the Greville Arms Hotel. It'll be their last gig of the year, and all proceeds are going to local charities.

Away from music, John Illsley is known for his campaigns against drugs. He does enjoy an occasional pint of Guinness though. ^{[citation needed]}