Group keeping alive links with Portaferry

Group keeping alive links with Portaferry

14 March 2013

IRISH traditional musicians McPeake will be sealing a  historic 100 year link with Portaferry on St. Patrick’s weekend.

Acclaimed worldwide, with their unique blend of Trad-Pop, the group will be returning that evening as the guests of Portaferry Sailing Club.

Leonard Lawson, the club’s development officer, first invited the McPeake Family to play in Portaferry in 1969 to help Portaferry Sailing Club (then Cook Street Sailing Club) get established.

The concert — admission six shillings — was given to a packed audience in the cinema on Portaferry’s High Street.

The band was at the height of their career at that time and it was Leonard’s friendship with Francis McPeake II, whom he first met in London whilst they were on worldwide tour which led to the concert.

The band then consisted of several generations of the McPeake family, known as Francis McPeake I, II and III. Also in the band were Francis III’s sister Kathleen and a cousin Tommy McCrudden all from Belfast.

“Francis McPeake I was in his eighties and took a great delight in singing to the audience and showing off the talents of his family,” said Leonard. “This time around it is Francis McPeake IV who will be leading the band with his father, Francis III as a guest artist. Francis IV has been successfully touring with the band in America this past three years and will be going out again to the USA in August of this year.”

Leonard became friendly with Frances IV when he was attending the McPeake School of Music in Belfast while playing the Uilleann pipes.

It is this instrument, the Uilleann pipes, along with the band’s singing, that gives the family their unique sound and which cemented that friendship. While at the school Leonard swopped stories with young Francis about his dad, grandfather and great grandfather, whom he had met while in his early twenties. Leonard then got involved trying to help the McPeake school before it unfortunately had to close its doors. However, the friendship continues and Leonard still helps the band with any fixtures while in Ireland.

It was while fulfilling his role as development officer with the Sailing Club, and trying to find a way of fundraising for the club’s new cross community project Sailing for All, that Leonard suggested getting the McPeake’s to return and play as they did over 40 years ago to raise money for the club.

“I only had to remind Francis IV of the old stories of how his father, grandfather and great grandfather had played for the club in Portaferry some 44 years ago and the fact that his great-grandfather had played at a concert, with the pipes, in St. Patrick’s Hall, Portaferry, back in 1912, over 100 years ago,” said Leonard. “He agreed straight away to play.”

Their music and songs, many original, suitable for all ages are completely traditional with a unique added fusion of Country, Bluegrass and Americana influences to provide an established yet new and popular sound.

Francis said: “We are delighted to be performing locally during the St Patrick’s weekend this year, because although we love touring internationally, nothing beats performing at home.

“It sounds clichéd, but we really do have the best audiences here!”

The concert will take place in Ballyphillip Parish Hall, High Street, Portaferry, at 8pm on Saturday March 16. Proceeds are aid of the Sailing Club’s cross community Project ‘Sailing for All’.

Tickets priced £10 each are available in Dumigan’s Bar and at the Sailing Club.

Anyone wanting more details or tickets can contact these locations or Leonard Lawson on 028 42728608. Alternatively visit www.portaferrysailingclub.com.