Finbar Furey

Finbar Furey
Background information
Born	28 September 1946
Origin	Ballyfermot, Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Folk music, Irish Music
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	uilleann pipe, banjo, acoustic guitar
Years active	1960s–present
Labels	Valley Entertainment, Dolphin Music
Associated acts	The Fureys, Davey Arthur
Website	www.finbarfurey.com, www.facebook.com/finbarfurey

Finbar Furey (born 28 September 1946, Ballyfermot, Dublin) is an Irish folk musician best known for his band of brothers The Fureys.

Finbar's father, Ted, began him on the Uillean pipes while he was very young. By his teens he had won 3 All Ireland Medals, The Oireachtas, and many Feisanna - in fact he was the only piper ever to win the All Ireland, the Oirechtas medal and the 4 province titles in the same year.

Finbar popularized the pipes worldwide while on tour with his brother Eddie in the 60's. Many bands followed in their wake, but the duo were awarded best Single of the Year by John Peel in 1972 entirely because of the unique sound the Uillean pipes and whistle made, in the context of what was, at the time, a modern pop sound. They received many other accolades because they were the spearhead of contemporary music of that time.

When the younger brothers Paul and George joined the fold, several years later, success and appeal remained as strong as ever and The Fureys soon reaped their reward and enjoyed a string of best selling records all over the world. These gems, with Finbar as lead singer of The Fureys, included When You Were Sweet Sixteen, Leaving Nancy, Tara Hill, Green Fields of France, Red Rose Café and The Lonesome Boatman. In Britain, they became one of the first Irish folk groups to play on Top of the Pops. From 1969 to 1970, the Furey Brothers (Finbar and Eddie Furey) were members of another influential Irish folk group - The Clancy Brothers.

In 1997, after nearly thirty years as The Fureys’ front man, Finbar decided the time was right to follow his own path as a singer songwriter. He decided to step aside and pursue his solo career, to present his definitive one-man show and to explore new pastures as a singer, producer and writer.^[1]

In the early 2000s, Finbar began an acting career. His first appearance was in the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York. He has also appeared in 2004’s Adam and Paul, 2007’s Strength and Honour, 2010’s short Paris Sexy, and the RTÉ Television series 'Love/Hate.^[2][3]

In 2011 he released the album Colours on Dolphin Music. The album featuring guest performances from Mary Black and Shayne Ward is being released in North America in 2012 on the Valley Entertainment record label.^[4]

In August 2013, Furey appeared on the Irish television show The Hit. He recorded a single pitched by a songwriter, Gerry Fleming. The single, "The Last Great Love Song", charted at number one in the Irish charts aginst Mundy's song "Jigsaw Man" written by Mark Walsh which charted at number five. The song was performed again with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in the final and came first place in the public vote earning the title "The Ultimate Hit".^[5]

References