The Irish Rovers

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The Irish Rovers is a popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group created in 1963. They took their name from the old song The Irish Rover, the story of a fabulous Irish sailing ship. They have also been known as just "The Rovers". The original members of the group were Jimmy Ferguson and George Millar, who began performing in Toronto, Ontario after moving there from Northern Ireland. Soon after, Joe Millar, George's cousin, joined the group, which subsequently relocated to Calgary, Alberta where George's brother, Will Millar, joined. The group subsequently began performing in folk clubs in California and Wilcil McDowell joined the band in 1966, around the time the group was signed by Decca Records.

The group is best known for their hit recording of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn" (1967), and also hosted several variety TV programs in the 1970s on Canadian television. Although they recorded many albums after that, they weren't as successful commercially as "The Unicorn" until 1980, when the band had a crossover hit with a cover of Tom Paxton's "Wasn't That a Party." The success of this out-of-character recording, that was performed in a country-rock style rather than the band's familiar folk style, led to the band rebranding itself as The Rovers and changing styles for the remainder of the 1980s, scoring follow-up hits with songs such as "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy", "No More Bread and Butter", and the morbid Christmas hit "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." By the 1990s, the band was once again known as the Irish Rovers.

Will Millar left the group in 1995; he subsequently recorded solo works and also wrote a book entitled Messing Around in Boats. He went on to do some acting work as well, playing postal carrier and boat owner Jimmy McVeigh on the Canadian comedy program The Red Green Show, and Jimmy, the crusty handyman in the 2005 Canadian slasher film "Sleepover Nightmare". Millar, a neighbor and good friend of writer-director Boon Collins, was also the production designer of the film, along with his wife, Catherine Millar. The bulk of the film was actually shot on Millar’s property and in his home.

Founding member Jimmy Ferguson died in 1997. The remaining members of the group, augmented by new musicians, continue to tour as the Irish Rovers as of 2006.