Our Story
THE IRISH ROVERS
On stage in 2023: GEORGE MILLAR, IAN MILLAR, GEOFFREY KELLY (Flutes and whistle), GERRY O’CONNOR (Fiddle), FRED GRAHAM (Bodhran), DAVEY WALKER (Keyboards), and joining the band for the first time was SHANE FARRELL (Banjo), JIMMY KEANE (Accordion) and KEVIN EVANS (Singer).
2025 marks 60 Years since The Irish Rovers played an unprecedented 22 sold out weeks at The Purple Onion in San Francisco.They took the town by storm, recorded their first album “First of the Irish Rovers” which then lead to their second album, “The Unicorn” which rocketed the band from coffee houses in the US and Canada to concert halls worldwide, and ultimately the first of their three television series. These Irish/Canadian music veterans continue to entertain and gain generation after generation of fans.
Last year began with the legendary Irish Rovers hitting the Spotify’s VIRAL TOP 50 in both the US and the UK/ Ireland, and ended with recording a new album, No End In Sight. They thank young Nathan Evans for carrying on the tradition of the sea shanty, and have included their original 1977 version of “The Wellerman” (with a new happier ending) on the new album.
No End In Sight includes a new anthem for our time, Hey Boys Sing Us A Song, nominated Canadian Folk Music Awards’ 2023 SINGLE OF THE YEAR. The song, written by George Millar includes his welcome refrain, “We all need some happiness back in our lives!”
Canada has been home to the Rovers since its inception in the early 60s. Millar says, “It’s been a bit odd, being from both Ireland and Canada. Some fans have found it confusing as well, asking where we’re from. At times I’ve felt like a man with no country.” This lead to the song Band Without A Country from their 2020 album Saints And Sinners which tells their story from Ireland to Toronto and beyond,
The Rovers’ 2019 release Up Among The Heather, The Scottish Album reflected the Scots influence on their Northern Irish roots.
It’s not every day you get to see music legends, and when you do get the chance, your expectations may be tempered by realities about age and time (See: The Stones, Dylan, etc.), but on a cool Sunday evening in Columbus, there were no such kinks in the armour. Delighting old fans and certainly surprising some new ones with their land speed record-playing on “The Dublin Pub Crawl,” the sheer pop perfection of the shiny happy hit, “The Unicorn,” and its brilliant new follow-up, “Narwhal, The Continuing Story of The Unicorn,” it was one for the books.
– Columbus Calling, 2018
The Unicorn song, which was in fact a last minute add to the original album, left us all with a tear or two, plus the unanswered question, ‘Whatever happened to the Unicorns when the ark left them stranded on the shore?’ Since that first big hit, the band returned to the charts 15 more times, nevertheless the magic of The Unicorn remained. To pay appropriate tribute in its 50th year, the Rovers release The Unicorn, The Continuing Story (CD & Special Limited Edition LP) which includes all new recordings, plus the sequel to The Unicorn song, which answers the question of the last fifty years.
All is answered in their new MUSIC VIDEO “The Continuing Story of The Unicorn”. The video producer thanks WWF and nature cinematographer, Adam Ravetch for their assistance.
In 2015/16 the Rovers produced their third television special since 2011, The Irish Rovers LIVE on St. Patrick’s Day, produced and directed by Jennifer Fahrni was filmed in Nanaimo Canada on St. Patrick’s Day, 2015 and broadcast live into Diana Krall Plaza. The City of Nanaimo in conjunction with Rovers management produced a St. Patrick’s Day outdoor festival, The Irish Rovers Street Party. The concert was broadcast across Canada and is now available as a double disc DVD or CD set. The 2nd disc was filmed in Ireland at Lismore Castle and includes special segments from throughout the band’s long career, and a LOAD of bloopers.
In 2015, the Rovers released the second children’s album of their career. “Songs for the Wee Folk” includes some classic favourites and new gems written by George Millar.
ULSTER- musical icons the Irish Rovers have recorded a song telling the story of the Titanic with its beginnings in Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. Rovers’ founder George Millar, a Ballymena man domiciled for most of his life in Canada, says: “Irish pride was at its highest, and the sinking devastated the Belfast shipyard and its workers. To this day they say with a wry smile – ‘she was all right when she left here’.
Belfast Newsletter
Like the famous Bushmills Irish Whiskey, The Irish Rovers continue to improve with age.Gaelic Hour, CHIN 97.9
Irish Rovers celebrate a bonny resurgence…From the recent surge in popularity of The Irish Rovers, it would seem the lads themselves have returned to their glory days, and are still charging…
The Morning Call
The story of The Irish Rovers (aka The Rovers) is one for the big screen; hosting three award-winning television series, topping the music charts again and again, several appearances as musical bank robbers on “The Virginian”, and more than 46 years of international recordings and touring their music around the world. The Irish Rovers themselves, were the inspiration for one of the world’s best-known party anthems.
The Irish Rovers, one of the most successful and enduring of all Irish folk bands.
– BBC ULSTER, 2010
The 60’s – The Beginning
The story of the Irish Rovers starts in 1963 in Canada, where the 16-year old George Millar and 23-year old Jim Ferguson, both new emigrants from Northern Ireland, met in Toronto at an Irish function. They sang together ‘til dawn. George and Jimmy formed the first Irish Rovers for an amateur variety show in Toronto and won!
– The Calgary Herald, 1971.
George’s cousin, Joe Millar, also then immigrated to Canada. Joe, who played button-key accordion, harmonica, and sang traditional ballads, was recruited as he stepped off the plane.
THE FOLK SINGING “BOOM” in the States and Canada has proved profitable for three young Ballymena men who form the nucleus of a popular, Toronto-based group who call themselves “The Irish Rovers.
– Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, 1964.
We actually formed the group in Toronto,” Jim (Ferguson) said. “I sang, George played guitar and at that time Joe was playing a little button key accordion… Will was our critic at large – the big time. He had his own TV show and all, and he would offer us long-distance advice, tell us why we sounded good or bad. The Irish Rover is a song about a ship that sunk half way through its career and Will used to kid us by saying (if we called ourselves that) the same thing would probably happen to us! So we said, ‘O.K. – to hell with you, we will.’ and we did. …We were ambitious in those days, we’d played the clubs to death in Toronto and we didn’t know what to do next; what direction to take. So we decided to visit Will in Calgary, ended up staying there, and the Irish Rovers became four.– Canadian Musician Magazine, 1979.
“Calgary is very special to us because that’s where Will joined the band, and years later it was the spot we chose to build our flagship Unicorn Pub.” George Millar describes the band’s first television performance: Will, was presenting a children’s TV show in Calgary called Just 4 Fun. We went on the show and sang, Whiskey You’re the Devil,” Millar recalls….
…There were these little five-year-olds sitting on the floor in front of us. Of course the switchboards lit up with people going, ‘Please don’t be putting those songs in our children’s ears.’ That’s how we began.
– The Calgary Sun, 2010
Will Millar, who’s first ‘gigs’ were at Phil’s Pancake House and being booked by Fredrick Tschritter at the then Beacon Hotel in Calgary AB, introduced the group to his manager Les Weinstein who became the Irish Rover’s full-time manager, and Will became leader of the band. The Irish Rovers were already regulars at Calgary’s popular Depression Coffee House and Weinstein encouraged them to head south to “Americay”.
Driving down through the US, their car broke down outside Dinucci’s Restaurant in Valley Ford CA. The restaurant was then briefly owned by two Irish immigrants Jerry Murphy and Peter Moran. Murphy and Moran were impressed by the band and invited American agent, Jan Brainerd to see them perform at the restaurant. Also impressed, she arranged for an audition at the famous folk club, The Purple Onion, in San Francisco where the Rovers ended up headlining for an unprecedented 22 sold-out weeks. Mrs. Brainerd became their longtime booking agent and later engineered their first recording contract with Decca Records in 1966. The lads fresh brand of Irish music was a hit in the US.
The Debut – First of The Irish Rovers & The Unicorn
In 1966, The Irish Rovers released their debut album, appropriately titled, The First Of The Irish Rovers (Decca), recorded live at “The Icehouse” in Pasadena. The liner notes introduced these new, young recording artists: “Irish music is the history and character of the Irish people recorded in song. The special message of this music is conveyed with authority and skill by a refreshing new singing group, The Irish Rovers.” – Judith Tane
The success of this first release lead to a second. This included a sweet little song with words written by Shel Silverstein, that Will sang for the children on “Just 4 Fun” and the lads had been playing in the clubs, called “The Unicorn”. At this point, Joe quit the group in order to get a ‘respectable’ job befitting a young father, while their pal, All-Ireland Champ Wilcil McDowell replaced him in the group. One evening while driving to their next concert on tour, the lads realized, that it was in fact their recording of “The Unicorn” playing on the radio. They leaped out of the van and tossed their clothes as dancing Rovers filled the street. That little song became a multi-milion seller, and beloved by a generation. Some months after the song hit, Joe rejoined The Rovers – the legendary lineup was complete. For five young adventurers from Ireland, life was about to change.
In 1968, The Irish Rovers were named Canada’s, “Folk Group of the Year”, by the predecessor of the Juno’s. The following year, they received a Grammy nomination for “Folk Performance of the Year”.
The Rovers made several appearances on television in the US and Canada including several appearances as musical bank robbers on The Virginian, The Mike Douglas Show, The Smothers Brothers Show, The Beachcombers and even as contestants on The Dating Game. The band used their new found fame to promote Irish Music in general to the North American public.
The 70’s – Irish Music Becomes A Hit On CBC
During the 1970s, the Irish Rovers hosted CBC’s, The Irish Rovers Show which ran for 6 seasons. The show was produced/directed by Ken Gibson who worked closely with Will Millar on choosing the show content. Designed to entertain both children and adults, the award-winning show became the most popular Canadian variety show of its time. Newspapers reported that the show occasionally surpassed even Hockey Night in Canada, and the top US sit-coms for viewers. Between rousing Irish folk songs, they captured the younger Canadian audiences with Will, George and Jimmy leaping about in leprechaun costumes with technical crew using state of the art technology. The band then played host to their friends, like Irish music legends The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem who would return several times throughout the Rovers’ various television incarnations. The lineup of guest stars included many musical heavyweights like Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Vera Lynn and Carl Perkins. In ’72, Attic records produced a live album at CBC television studios in Vancouver, Canada. Brothers Will and George Millar wrote many songs together during these years.
At one time when we were filming one of our shows, Johnny Cash was on tour, and this was in the early 70’s. We thought it would be very nice to have him on the show because Johnny Cash had come over and toured Ireland, and he was immensely popular over here. So we asked him to come on, and the budget wasn’t all that great, you know for the guest stars in those days, and we just wanted Johnny to come on with his guitar, and the little house band to back him up. But he landed in, not only with his guitar, but with The Tennessee Three, Carl Perkins and the complete Carter Family! Meanwhile, the producer and our manager are going up the walls “We can’t afford this – there’s no way”. So they approached him and said to Johnny, “We told you what our budget is and we just can’t afford this.” Johnny said to our manager and the producers, “Don’t you worry about it. Ireland has been very good to me. Just consider this a part of the favor returned.
The 80’s – Party Like A Rover
In the 80’s, the group hosted several “Superspecials” for CBC and also starred in their second national television series, The Rovers Comedy House, a 7-part CBC series of Irish music and comedy which again had them filming many segments back home in Ireland.
The Rovers enjoyed life to such an extent, that their notorious partying inspired their next hit in ‘81. They soared to the top of the pop and country charts with Wasn’t That A Party which their friend, Tom Paxton wrote after he attending one of the band’s famous post-show parties. The Rovers also put their spin on an unknown dittie written by Randy Brooks, which took it to the top of the charts with their first national release of “Grandma Got Run-Over By A Reindeer”, the single from their album “It Was A Night Like This”. It remains a favorite holiday anthem today. During the 80’s the band had several chart topping and award-winning albums, including “The Rovers” (1980) and “No More Bread And Butter” (1981).
From 1984 to ’86, The Rovers starred in their third television series, Party With The Rovers. The show was set in a traditional pub setting with celebrity guests performing each week. This time, the roster again included friends, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, as well as Lonnie Donegan, Andy Gibb, Rita Coolidge, Ronnie Prophet, Boxcar Willie and many more. “The Rovers taped visits to Northern and Southern Ireland, Scotland, England, New Zealand, P.E.I., Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Banff and even Alert-at the tip of Ellesmere Island-the farthest, northerly inhabited base in the world.” – TV Guide, 1978. The series was a co-production between Canada’s Global TV and Ulster Television in Ireland, and was syndicated around the world.
Traditional Irish Music For The Modern World
“The crowd was in the palm of their hands as The Irish Rovers delivered flawless music that spanned two sets and featured songs recognizable to the die-hard fan (yet also the perfect introduction to the new-comers), trademark Rovers hits and songs you can find on their latest album. From the memorable Rambling Boys of Pleasure and Whistling Gypsy Rover to their newest singles The Titanic and the iTunes censored, Whores and Hounds the evening had it all.” TARON COCHRANE, CBC SASKATCHEWAN.
“As The Irish Rovers came onstage, the crowd proffered a fantastic surge of cheers and applause that morphed into clapping and stomping as the band opened with their namesake song, “The Irish Rover”…whoops and cheers from the crowd echoed those onstage from Rover founder, guitarist and singer, George Millar. In his wonderful lolling Irish accent, he encouraged the crowd to sing along to traditional songs like “Drunken Sailor,” “A-Rovin’,” and their most famous, signature song, “Unicorn,” which swept a wave of nostalgia through the audience. A number of people could even be seen joining in with the hand motions they learned as children.” – THE PIONEER TIMES
“Irish, high-energy tunes with lyrics that quicken the blood and make you feel life’s really worth living…” – TELEGRAPH JOURNAL
Imperial Theatre had quite a few Christmas themed shows this year but none had the response that THE IRISH ROVERS CHRISTMAS got -the boys thrilled the audience with Holiday merrimemt and old fashioned entertainment … great addition to our Mainstage lineup and a pleasure to present.
– IMPERIAL THEATRE INC
Over the years, Ireland has felt the impact of The Irish Rovers’ long career of bringing Ireland and Irish music to the rest of the world. Recently in 2019, the Rovers were honoured in both Ballymena N. Ireland and Dublin Ireland for all they have done over the years for the music industry and promoting Ireland across North America and beyond. Dublin’s EPIC Museum Director Mervyn Greene escorted the band through the new state-of the art museum in Dublin which includes a tribute and display of Rovers albums. Greene refers to The Irish Rovers as ‘one of Ireland’s greatest émigrés’.
The Irish Rovers continue to tour the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Will Millar left the group in 1994, Jimmy Ferguson passed away while on tour in 1997, and in 2005 Joe Millar retired to the golf course, while his son, Ian took up the family ranks. Original accordionist Wilcil McDowell retired from touring in 2018. George Millar who started the band with Jimmy Ferguson back in 1963 is the ‘Last Rover Standing’.
2025 marks 60 Years since The Irish Rovers played an unprecedented 22 sold out weeks at The Purple Onion in San Francisco. They took the town by storm, recorded their first album “First of the Irish Rovers” which then lead to their second album, “The Unicorn” which rocketed the band from coffee houses in the US to concert halls worldwide and ultimately the first of their three television series.
The 60 Years~A Roving Tour booked by Bill Girdwood who has book all their tours since 2010, crosses Canada from Halifax to Vancouver in 2025 and is already starting to sell out. After 2025? Well that’s up to one man, the Last Rover Standing.
Stay tuned.
Note: Have mercy. Trying to compile the history of The Irish Rovers on one page is absurd. Here we’ve tried to hit some high points. Slainte, JJFahrni