Irish Descendants
| The Irish Descendants | |
|---|---|
| Origin | St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Genres | Rock, folk, celtic rock, hard rock |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Warner, Koch, Kells, Fontana Distribution, Avondale |
| Associated acts | D'Arcy Broderick |
| Website | www.therishdescendants.com |
| Members | Con O'Brien Ronnie Power Patrick Moran Justin Hickey |
| Past members | See Member history |
The Irish Descendants are a folk group from the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. All the members, born of Irish emigrants, were workers in the Newfoundland fishing industry before forming the band in 1990 out of the remnants of two former Newfoundland bands – The Descendants and Irish Coffee. The group helped to popularise traditional Newfoundland music to a wider Canadian audience in the early 1990s, along with other bands such as Great Big Sea. Their popularity within the province itself led to their selection as the official band of the province's 500th anniversary celebrations, during which they performed for the Queen. Tension within the group caused co-frontman D'Arcy Broderick to leave soon after this period, and their lineup has frequently changed since then, with frontman Con O'Brien being the only constant member. Regular touring and occasional album releases, most recently Southern Shore in 2007, have kept the group in the public eye.
In the summer of 1986, Con O’Brien and Ronnie Power of Bay Bulls teamed up with Thomas Battcock of Brigus South to form The Descendants. After Battcock’s departure due to other commitments, Power and O'Brien teamed up with multi-instrumentalist and vocalist D'Arcy Broderick of Bay De Verde and Bassist Larry Martin of Grates Cove to form the new band The Irish Descendants.
In 1991, the Descendants recorded their first album, Misty Morning Shore, on independent label Duckworth Records. It caught the attention of Warner Music and they signed the band following up with their major label debut Look To The Sea in 1993. The record was successful, and was followed by 1994's Gypsies and Lovers, which saw the band expanded to include drummer Gerard Broderick and keyboardist Kathy Phippard. The album won the band the Roots & Traditional Album of the Year award at the Juno Awards, as well as the Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards.
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