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Wolfe Tones

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The Wolfe Tones’ Farewell Tour Stops in NYC over St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

After 60 years of Irish ballads and rebel songs, The Wolfe Tones will conclude their career in America this St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Their last American shows will be Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 at 7:30 pm at the Town Hall in New York City. 

The group formed six decades ago, back in August of 1963. The group consisted of frontman Brian Warfield, Noel Nagel, and Liam Courtney. The following year, Brian’s brother Derek Warfield joined the group along with Tommy Byrne, who replaced Courtney. That lineup remained consistent for almost 37 years until “creative differences” caused Derek Warfield to leave the band in 2001. Derek formed The Young Wolfe Tones and has barely spoken to his brother Brian since.

The band now consists of Brian Warfield, Noel Nagel, and Tommy Byrne. Despite the change in lineup, the band continues to chant their rebel songs. Their hit “Celtic Symphony” remains a fan favorite, standing the test of time. Just two years ago in October of 2022, the song rose again to No. 1 on the Irish iTunes charts and No. 2 on the UK iTunes chart 35 years after its initial release. This rebel song truly embodies The Wolfe Tones essence, especially as the band is named after Theobald Wolfe Tone, a prominent leader of the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

The band’s success hasn’t stayed in Ireland and the UK but has traveled overseas to the Tri-state area. Their song “The Streets of New York,” which was released in 1981, continues to be a staple in the New York Irish community. The song can be heard every week on New York’s WFUV 90.7 FM’s Irish music program, Ceol na nGael.  

The Wolfe Tones will celebrate their long-term success with their Farewell Tour. But why not continue this success? Brian Warfield said member Tommy Byrne always said, “I’m not going to go past 80.” As Byrne and Nagel are 80 this year, the band has decided to retire. But they’re not going quietly. They’ll be ending their Farewell Tour with two lively shows in 3Arena, Dublin in mid-October. 

To catch The Wolfe Tones live one last time in New York at the Town Hall this upcoming St. Patrick’s Day weekend on March 15 and 16, click here for tickets.

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Wolfe Tones – You’ll Never Beat the Irish Tour

About the show.

The Wolfe Tones perform your favorite Irish Songs “Celtic Symphony,” “You’ll Never beat the Irish,” “Sean South,” “Rifles of the IRA” and many many more!!

Remaining seats have been marked down 20% from original price.

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THE WOLFES ARE NEVER FAR FROM THE NEWS

Newtalk: https://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/the-thursday-interview-on-the-hard-shoulder/the-thursday-interview-brian-warfield Dublin live https://www.dublinlive.ie/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/wolfe-tones-adding-two-extra-25986869 the Sun https://www.thesun.ie/tv/10052910/stephanie-roche-wolfe-tones-dancing-with-stars/ https://www.thesun.ie/tvandshowbiz/music/9558925/wolfe-tones-celtic-symphony-number-one-up-ra-controversy/

https://www.limerickpost.ie/2022/08/12/guests-announced-for-the-wolfe-tones-only-outdoor-show-in-irish-republic/

WOLFIES "GRACE" TOPS THE POLLS!

THIS SONG BEAT THEM ALL WHEN DUBLIN LIVE HIT THE STREETS

April 2022 - Dubliners have revealed their favourite Irish songs from the traditional tunes to Westlife - and there was one clear winner.

Speaking to Dublin Live, we asked Dubs which Irish song is their favourite.

You might have thought Christy Moore or U2 would top the list, but it was actually Grace by the Wolfe Tones that was the most popular choice 

“Grace by the Wolfe Tones because it’s my daughters middle name,” said one man.

Another also picked the same song, saying: “Grace, probably one of the greatest Irish ballad songs ever, it’s unbelievable.”

One more person said: “Grace because I’m a little romantic at the moment, I’m in the love buzz.”

Read the full article here on Dublin Live 

THAT BBC WORLD POLL IN 2002

HOW THE WOLFIES TOPPED THE BEST SONG EVER POLL BY THE BBC

he Wolfe Tones have enjoyed a glittering career filled with chart-topping singles and albums, sold-out live performances and songs spanning generations.

While they hold a special place in many Irish households - it brings to the fore a tale from 2002 when the Irish group managed to win a worldwide vote. The BBC World Service was searching to find the 'World's Favourite Song'. The vote was open to the public to anyone with access to the world wide web.

Many had tipped a track from the likes of The Beatles or Bob Marley to win the majority but few could have predicted an Irish trio would rule them all.

The Wolfe Tones' track A Nation Once Again was brought to the fore by an email campaign from a Northern Irishman ahead of the vote.

An article from  The Times  explains how the man, London based at the time, was singlehandedly setting revenge 'even sweeter than beating the English at football.'

A source from West Belfast spoke to The Times and had this to say about supporting the Wolfe Tones case:

While the BBC acknowledged that A Nation Once Again was one of the frontrunners, they did expect the likes of Imagine by John Lennon and Believe by Cher to provide stiff competition.  A spokesperson for the BBC said they even received the email, saying, "It seems to be a bit of a laugh but the lyrics meet the guidelines so the votes have been accepted." 

he tune was originally written in the 1840s by Young Irelanders leader Thomas Davis, composed at a time under British rule as the lyrics cry out for when Ireland would 'be a nation once again.'

The Wolfe Tones originally recorded their version in 1964 not long after the band was established. After weeks of campaigning, the final tally was counted.

There were over 150,000 votes were cast. 153 countries took part and more than 6,500 songs were given the spotlight. But A Nation Once Again was crowned the BBC's 'World's Favourite Song.'

The BBC themselves  remarked  that the Wolfe Tones snatched victory after a 'late surge in votes' and that many of the top ten had individual campaigns attached to them.

"This is a unique chart, for the first time we've been able to see how bands like the Beatles, which traditionally do well in these polls, measure up against other forms of world music."

Those were the words of BBC World Service editor David Stead who said that the vote provided a 'logistical challenge' but described the response to the search as 'extraordinary.'

Here were the top ten in full:

1. A Nation Once Again by The Wolfe Tones 2. Vande Mataram by Various artists 3. Dil Dil Pakistan by Vital Signs 4. Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu by llayaraaja 5. Poovum Nadakkuthu Pinchum Nadakkuthu by Thirumalai Chandran 6. Ana wa Laila by Kazem El Saher 7. Reetu haruma timi hariyali basant hau nadihruma timi pabitra ganga hau by Arun Thapa 8. Believe by Cher 9. Chaiyya chaiyya by A R Rahman 10. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Some of those featured on the list might cause a head scratch or two. The second-placed song, Vande Mataram, is a traditional Indian song regarded by many as their national tune.

The only western tracks to feature on the list were Believe by Cher and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, painting the picture of a truly worldwide vote.

Brian Warfield of The Wolfe Tones spoke to  The Irish Times  after the win:

We're absolutely delighted that this song, which has become such an anthem for the Irish people, has got such recognition all over the world. The song was written to give the Irish people back a bit of spirit and support the fight to overturn [British rule] so I am very happy to see it is still giving us spirit the world over.

A PLACE OF HONOUR IN CO KERRY

WINNERS OF THE ROSE OF TRALEE FESTIVAL MUSIC COMPETITION 1965

October 2021  - Fergus Dennihy  

Very soon into what would go onto be a very long career for the band, ‘The Wolf Tones’ performed right here in Kerry in the mid 1960’s as part of the ‘Rose of Tralee’ festival.

It was an appearance that would help to kick start the career of this legendary band and now, thanks to the efforts of locals – lead amongst them, Eddie Barrett – this little bit of history has been etched in stone into outside the building where they performed all those years ago.

The band have long acknowledged the Rose festival as the starting point for their illustrious career and repaid that in spades over the years by returning multiple times to perform there. Their first and arguably most famous show though was performed in what was back then known as the ’Derry O’Rourke’ Tavern and which is now the Castle Off-License on Castle Street.

Back then, the four person band – made up of Brian Warfield, Noel Nagle, Liam Courtney (he was replaced by Tommy Bryne in November of 1964) and Brian’s brother Derek – were light years away from what they would go onto become and so had to make do by sleeping in two two-man tents in Derry’s back garden in Ballyard.  

Eddie Barrett, whose family have owned and run the popular off license since 2005, helped on Monday afternoon – along with the band themselves and the 1965 Rose of Tralee winner, Therese Collins (née Gillespie) – to unveil a plaque commemorating the band's famous gig there. 

Speaking to The Kerryman about the unveiling, Eddie said that he was just wanted to help celebrate a little bit of local history.

"We discovered through the grapevine and going through the records of the bar and through chatting to the O'Rourke family that ‘The Wolfe Tones’ had won their first prize there back in ‘65 I think it was and then they set out on the road to being a professional group after that and the rest, as they say, is history,” said Eddie.

“The lads were only about 17 or 18 at the time. They had more or less come together out of school, playing together and singing their few ballads and all that. They were taking part in this ‘Festival of Kerry’ folk group competition and they won the whole thing and this competition, it generated a huge amount of money in those days, £250 pounds for the winner and that’d have been worth about £10,000 today so that was huge for them to win that,” he continued.

"We’ve been wanting to do something for the last few years but with COVID and everything, we couldn't. They played at the INEC on Sunday so today was the first opportunity they’ve had to to come to Tralee. There are three of the original four still in the band and obviously it was a huge memory for them at the time because it was the kick start that they got. This is a real piece of Tralee history that we want to celebrate,” he finished.

Read the article here in the Kerryman

PETER McVERRY TRUST DONATION  

THE WOLFETONES CONTRIBUTE ALL MONIES IN RELATION TO THEIR NUMBER 1 "COME OUT YE BLACK N TANS" TO THE PETER McVERRY TRUST.

Last February the Wolfetones pledged to donate all funds from their UK and Ireland Number 1 "Come out ye Black n Tans" to the Peter McVerry Trust in aid of the homeless. Generally payment of royalties take some time to come in and recently they contributed the full amount of the proceeds from the number one to the homeless charity. The Wolfetones would like to thank all the fans who used their personal money to send the song to the top of the UK and Ireland charts - this was an unprecedented show of support for this very worthy charity,  turning a what was a political fiasco in Ireland into something positive.  

Brian Warfield commented: " We were delighted to do something to help the homeless, we only wish that the amount from the number 1 proceeds was more." Amber Brown from the Peter McVerry Trust said " "Thank you to all of the members of The Wolfe Tones and your supporters for your very generous donation of €5,000.00, which we received today (September 21st), Because of your kindness, we will support even more people experiencing homelessness and continue to provide more homes and more positive futures for those who need our help. Last year, Peter McVerry Trust supported over 6,184 people across our services located in 20 counties throughout Ireland. Thanks to you, young people, families and individuals that we work with can look forward to brighter, more hopeful futures ahead. From all of us at Peter McVerry Trust, our sincere thanks for your support and generosity," She concluded.

"ROCKALL ROCKS ON - 

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL WANTS A PIECE OF ROCKALL!

Alistair Macdonald of the Wall Street Journal flew out to interview the Wolfetones about Brian's song "Rockall" and his mythical claim for Ireland in song as well as his wish to take a boat up to Rockall and claim the Island: "Irish folk singer wants to reverse Britain's last imperial conquest - a rock."   

The Wall Street Journal  

"HERE WE GO AGAIN - ROCKALL"

SCOTTISH TRY TO PREVENT IRISH TRAWLERS FROM ROCKALL

The Wolfies once again are at the centre of headlines with their claim on Rockall for Ireland  in song, written 43 years ago (in 1976).  Read the full interview with Brian Warfield in the Irish Sun here. Here's some more articles over the weekend: 

  Irish Times:   https://bit.ly/2IBY7Gi  

Irish Journal : https://bit.ly/2KBxYtL  I

rish Central:  https://bit.ly/2EVrBOf

N ewstalk:   https://bit.ly/2XA1bZy. 

You can listen to Rock on Rockall here.

52ND US TOUR A MASSIVE SUCCESS

US FANS LOVE THE WOLFETONES!

The Wolfetones would like to thank all their fans for attending their recent US Tour which was a massive success. The tones have now spent around twenty years of their lives touring the United States of America, across all the states and cities. They have been honoured with freedom, honorary citations and keys of many American cities for their contribution to heritage, music and song. 

THE RAMBLINGS OF AN IRISH BALLAD SINGER - by Brian Warfield

THE INSIDE STORY FROM BRIAN WARFIELD

Brian Warfield of the Wolfetones has written a book that tells the story of the Wolfetones through his own eyes. It is a journey "on the one road" through their humble beginnings in the 60's to the heights of success as one of Ireland's greatest ballad groups.  You can order yours here.  

TONES INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

THE BARROWLANDS MAKES THE TONES PART OF THEIR  HISTORY

The Barrowlands in Glasgow Scotland has seen many greats perform at the venue, but a Wolfetones concert there remains legendary and unforgettable. The Barrows and The Wolfetones are forever interlinked in Glaswegian folklore. The Wolfetones were honoured to be inducted into the Barrowlands Hall of Fame - officially now part of this famous venues' history.

TONES ANNOUNCE NEW UK DATE

Due to phenomenal demand at the London Irish Centre - a new date 14th November 2018 has been added

If you didn't get tickets for the Thursday 15th November at the London Irish Centre - never fear - the Wolfies will be here for another concert with a new date added due to the phenomenal demand - - Wednesday 14th November. Buy Tickets on www.tonesfest.com  

WOLFETONES US TOUR UNDERWAY

 51st Tour of the USA for the iconic ballad group

The Wolfetones 55 Anniversary Tour of the US started on Friday 3rd March and ran until March 18th 2018. Having received the honorary keys to many of its cities and been cited by many dignatories, The Wolfetones continued to wow audiences across the USA.

TONES FEST 55 AT CITYWEST SELLS OUT

Three Nights a Sell-out Success with over 4000 people attending

Thank you to everyone that came to the Citywest 2017 Tones Fest. It was a memorable three nights with many people attending with their children and staying for the entire three nights at the citywest complex. The Wolfetones continue their popularity over the generations.  Their concerts can be shared by all the family. 

CELTIC SYMPHONY A HIT IN FRANCE!

The song is once again hitting the charts!

Despite the fact this song has never received any radio play in its native country, now European fans in France are showing respect for this song which has been sung around stadia, bars and homes around the world for the past  20 years.  It is a song that will remain an anthem for every generation of Irish, Celtic and Scottish peoples.

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Wednesday 08 March 2023

Wolfe Tones

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29 E. Allen St. 19123 Philadelphia, PA, US 215-309-0150 www.thefillmorephilly.com/

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Irish Legends the Wolfe Tones Played a Secret Gig in North London - and Q Was There. Watch the Video Here

T he legendary and often controversial traditional Irish band the Wolfe Tones played a surprise show in north London on Sunday April 28. In front of just 200 fans, the trio, first formed in 1963 and known for their fiercely patriotic “rebel songs”, delivered a set steeped in Irish culture and boisterous pride to a crowd of mostly-20-something revelers in the cramped confines of The Faltering Fullback pub in Finsbury Park. Among the audience were Dublin punks Fontaines D.C.

The show was kept a closely-guarded secret, only appearing on the pub’s website Sunday morning, as well as on a blackboard outside. But as word spread across London’s Irish community, hundreds queued outside through the afternoon, many dressed in Ireland football and rugby jerseys, or with Wolfe Tones headbands. By the time they took the stage at a little after 8pm, the atmosphere was uproarious, fueled in part by a steady supply of Guinness.

Speaking to Q before the show, Noel Nagle, Brian Warfield and Tommy Byrne explained how, despite playing through six decades of changing music taste, their traditional ballads have never lost popularity.

“We came out of the tradition of singers telling the story of happenings around the country,” says singer and banjoist Brian Warfield, “and so we continued that tradition. That meant singing about things that were happening in our country and we felt that we should support the people of the six counties in their struggle for equality and civil rights and everything that they fought for.”

That stance attracted some controversy soon after the group found popularity, when the Troubles began in the late 1960s. The Wolfe Tones’ second LP, released in 1966, was titled Up the Rebels, and their fourth, in 1970, Rifles of the I.R.A. As the Troubles worsened over the following three decades until the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the band not only refused to compromise their stance, but doubled down on their beliefs.

“Our music became, in a way, protest music,” says guitarist/vocalist Tommy Byrne. “Although we’re singing about everything else, about every other aspect of Ireland, people focused in on things like when we took up the cause of the Birmingham Six or the Guildford Four, when we took up the cause of the hunger strike with the ‘Ballad of Joe McDonnell’ [an Irish Republican volunteer who died in prison after refusing food for 61 days in 1981].

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“These things caused us to be banned on radio in Ireland," he continues. "So that's when we were looked upon as outsiders, as rebels. So at that stage I think the Wolfe Tones became very important to the Irish people.

“There was no opening for Irish people to express themselves. Every newspaper that came out in Ireland, going back to the rising of 1798, was banned. Their presses were confiscated, their typing machines confiscated and closed down. No other expression was allowed other than that of the view of Dublin Castle, which is a view coming from Westminster. We always, before the Troubles began, we sang Irish songs. When the Troubles started and on through the Troubles, we still sang Irish songs, but now they were called rebel songs. They're Irish songs.”

The surprise gig was a warm-up for the Wolfe Tones’ huge upcoming show at Finsbury Park on July 5, where they will be headlining a bill that includes The Undertones, The Sharon Shannon Big Band, Scratch andBrògeal. After 60 years gigging, that concert will be their last on British soil, as the band, now all pushing 80 years old, are set to retire this summer.

The headlining slot comes at a time when Irish music and culture is experiencing a dramatic rise in popularity, with acts like Fontaines D.C., Lankum, New Dad, CMAT, Sprints and the Mary Wallopers, as well as more traditional singers like Lisa O’Neill, increasingly defining the cultural landscape. It was a point underlined on Sunday night, as the crowd, despite in many cases being too young to even remember the Troubles, sang along enthusiastically to songs like “Come Out Ye Black & Tans” and “You’ll Never Beat the Irish”.

“For years young Irish people couldn’t hear Irish music on the radio,” says Warfield. “And I think they were probably pretty fed up with that. And now all of a sudden they can, and they’re embracing it, they’re proud of it. I don't know how it happened with us, but our popularity in the last few years has just surged.

“And we can see the young people coming to our shows more and more and getting more involved with Irish music, because it's their story. Why shouldn't the Irish people be allowed to sing their own songs? I think that's what has rallied a lot of young Irish people around the Wolfe Tones.

“They know every word of every song and they sing along. You can see them mouthing the words, listening to the messages of our songs about Irish history and culture. It's amazing. That's what keeps you going.”

Tickets to the Wolfe Tones show at Finsbury Park on July 5 can be bought here .

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The Wolfe Tones play surprise London pub gig and tell us about being “very special to the Irish diaspora”

The legendary Irish rebel band tell NME about their final London gig this summer, being pals with Oasis and their impact on the current boom in Irish music

After playing a surprise gig at The Faltering Fullback in London last night (April 28),  The Wolfe Tones ‘ frontman Brian Warfield has spoken to NME about their upcoming final shows and long-lasting legacy. Check out footage from the show above and our interview with the band below.

The legendary Irish rebel band have chosen to commemorate their 60th anniversary as a band by formally calling an end to their career with a run of final concerts.

Their final ever shows will take place in Dublin’s sold out 3Arena on October 11 and 12, and before that they will play to their biggest ever audience at London’s Finsbury Park on July 5 – you can get your tickets for that here.

They warmed up for those huge shows with a surprise intimate performance in Finsbury Park pub The Faltering Fullback last night, when NME caught up with frontman Brian Warfield to discuss coming to terms with the end of the band, their legacy to “the Irish diaspora” and their impact on the current boom in Irish guitar music.

NME: Hello Brian – 60 years of the band you formed as a teenager are coming to an end. Have you come to terms with it?

Brian Warfield: “ Yeah, we more or less have. I think this retirement is the only thing we’ve ever planned, and there’s been a wonderful response all over Ireland, and all over England as well. We’ll always have a huge crowd, but we just can’t go on forever. We haven’t shut the door; something might come up that we can do as a one-off in the future, but at the moment, that’s the plan.

“It’s been a long time, 60 years on the road. It started back in 1964, and we got a contract with Fontana Records, and we were very, very excited about the fact that we got a quarter-page in the NME . It was very special that we had that, seeing us there with all the pop stars and everything else. I think we got as far as about Number 70 on the NME charts! We were over the moon.”

You’ve obviously seen a lot of changes in that time. Have audiences changed over the years?

“Actually, no. Funnily enough, we have been very lucky that we’ve carried the young people of each generation with us. It was very important for the young people of Ireland that they had something with the Irish spirit and an Irish story that they could relate to. It wasn’t just pop songs or pop music, it was a story with a message and with historic content.

“We tried to make Irish people proud, both in Ireland and across the diaspora in England, Scotland, Wales, America, Australia, New Zealand and across Europe. We’ve really had a wonderful time, we’ve seen hundreds of thousands of people. I think we’re very special to the Irish diaspora and they’re very special to us.”

• READ MORE: Lankum: “This generation of Irish artists have a confidence to stand up and be themselves”

You’ve got one last chance to perform in London coming up on July 5 in Finsbury Park. How special will that night be for you?

“It’s going to be really, really special. I think it’s going to be the biggest crowd ever at an Irish festival, we’ve had traction on the website of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people wanting to get there. You know, there are probably 6million Irish in Britain, and they love the music and they love the craic. They’re all gonna be there.”

Do you think Irish rebel music resonates with people now in the same way that it did when you started out?

“It’s much more acceptable now than it was. We went through The Troubles in Ireland, which were very hurtful to the Irish people and to Irish communities abroad. I suppose a lot of things were taken out against the Irish community – people would say, ‘Oh, they’re Irish, they’re bloody bombers’ or whatever, you know? There was a lot of demonisation of Irish communities, and the only people speaking up for them at the time was The Wolfe Tones.

“That was very special to us, because we didn’t like to see the Irish people hurting, no matter where they were. During the time of the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six and all that, we did a show in the Hackney Town Hall to highlight the fact that these people were innocent of the crimes they were accused of. No-one wanted to listen at that stage. One of those jailed once told us, ‘You wouldn’t realise, Brian, what it meant to us in prison when someone came out with a song supporting us. It gave us light at the end of the tunnel, it gave a hope that we would at last be exonerated from something that we didn’t have anything to do with’.”

Irish music is going through a real boom period at the moment, with the likes of Fontaines D.C. , Kneecap , The Murder Capital and The Mary Wallopers. A lot of bands have cited you as an inspiration. Do you see the legacy that you have left behind there?

“I do see it when I meet people from other groups who say things like, ‘If only for you guys, we wouldn’t be here’. They found that a group singing Irish music could be very successful in the world, so by watching us, they had hope for themselves to be able to sing the songs of Ireland and still have an element of success in the music industry. I think that was very important, because let’s put it this way, The Wolfe Tones were never played on radio in Ireland, the only way you could hear us was either by CD or else go to one of the shows. And that’s why the shows were very important, they gave people an idea of the spirit that Irish song has.”

Do you see the new bands as continuing your legacy?

“Yeah, Tere are so many new bands coming out at the moment, I can’t keep up with them all. There always have been great Irish bands in Ireland, and from London too – look at the way The Pogues came out of that scene, they used to open for us in The National [in Kilburn, London]. I suppose we’re responsible for a lot of music. The Gallaghers were great supporters of The Wolfe Tones back in the day in Manchester, when we used to go to the Carousel Ballroom and have it packed out with 2000 people.

“We must have been somewhat important to people, it makes you feel very good. We never knew that, of course, but it’s wonderful to hear them show appreciation. It’s all in the past, it’s coming to an end, but it makes you feel very humbled by the great praise that we get from other people.”

The Wolfe Tones play their last London show at Finsbury Park on July 5. Tickets are available here .

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