The Irish Rovers, Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 7: 30 p.m. at Centennial Theatre. Tickets: $42.50, visit www. centennialtheatre.com.
"AH, it won't do them any harm at all," George Millar, a founding member of The Irish Rovers, says he assures his North Vancouver daughter regarding his grandkids' love of dancing around to hit "Drunken Sailor."
"Everybody seems to like Irish music. . . .," the veteran musician says. "It's just good, fun music. I liken it to a polka: you don't have to like it, but if you hear it, then your old toe starts tapping anyway. . . . Even if we're singing about some poor fellow who got drawn and quartered and hung in 1798, it's still such a happy tune, people are smiling and clapping, and I'm thinking, 'They don't know a bloody thing we're singing about,' but that's okay if they're happy."
The Irish Rovers' musical talent, showmanship and sense of humour have been bringing fans of all ages to their feet and putting smiles on their faces since their emergence on the scene in the 1960s.
Celebrating their 45th anniversary this year, members are in the midst of a tour dubbed Home In Ireland, and are set take the stage at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre Wednesday.
After moving from Northern Ireland to Canada, Millar started the band at age 16 in Toronto with fellow Irishman Jim Ferguson. The lineup has changed over the years, though Millar and Wilcil McDowell have been there since the beginning.
Ferguson, who passed away, and Millar lived on the North Shore for a number of years, though Millar now calls Nanoose Bay home. His bandmates live on Vancouver Island as well as Montreal, Que. and Ireland.
From the success of "The Unicorn," with lyrics by Shel Silverstein, released in 1967, taking them from the folk clubs of the day onto the stages of the world, to their current tour, which is continuing to sell out, The Irish Rovers have maintained a dedicated fan base of all ages.
"After all these years, I'm happy to say we're still on those stages and still riding the back of that little unicorn," says Millar.
"It's our fans that have allowed us to, as I like to say, 'not have to get a real job.' They've kept us going," he adds.
Millar also credits The Irish Rovers' longevity to how much members like each other. "If you can't get along then of course your band is going to disintegrate. . . . The ones that keep going who don't like each other, you can see it," he says.
In addition, the Rovers share a passion for the music. "You have to enjoy what you're doing in life, whether you're a writer, a school bus driver or us. . . ." says Millar. "We're blessed because we enjoy what we're doing and they also pay us at the end of the day so what's not to like about that?"
The Rovers' main goal when they take the stage is to spread happiness. "We're maybe singing about a side of Ireland that hasn't been there for 50 or 60 years - we're maybe more romantics that way," says Millar. "We sing about the pretty Colleens at the fair, we sing about fast race horses and making moonshine, illegal whiskey.
That's the kind of songs we do, rather than trying to get into political things of the day or past Troubles. We avert that. I've always thought and I still do to this day, those two hours that we have on stage with the people, that's the two hours to make the people as happy as they can be. I don't want them leaving there depressed and worrying about things. If they're whistling the 'Drunken Sailor' when they leave, then we've done our job."
Their interest in showing fans a good time keeps them coming back for more.
"Those little kids that we sang 'The Unicorn' song to all those years ago, of course they're now in their 40s and they're bringing their kids and I'm saying, 'My God, I'm never going to get retired at this rate," says Millar. "It's like a full circle.'"
That said, The Irish Rovers plan to retire from touring in 2015. The logistical nightmare that is air travel in a post-9/11 world for a band of many members with a ton of equipment in tow, has simply become too much, he explains.
"This show in North Van will likely be our last time through," says Millar. "Now we're going to keep our hands in of course," he says.
They'll get together for special engagements, like folk festivals, as well, will continue to record albums.
Following last year's Gracehill Fair, The Irish Rovers are currently working on two records. The first will be out for Christmas, a collection of holiday works, entitled Merry Merry Time of Year. The second, Drunken Sailor, is set for release in late February or early March 2012 and is nautical-themed featuring a variety of songs "some naughty" and "some nautical," says Millar. The first single is dubbed "Whores and Hounds."
"I think maybe some of our older fans will go, 'Tsk-tsk: What are those boys up to now?'" he says.
The Irish Rovers are also making a return to television, having hosted three awardwinning shows in the past, with a film, available on DVD, set to premiere on PBS Nov. 27 and then air again in March 2012.
Home In Ireland was filmed on location in various points along the northern coast of Ireland as well as features a performance at Belfast's Waterfront Theatre.
In addition, the band is working on an Irish Rover Canadian Christmas television special and will begin filming this fall before kicking off a Christmas tour Dec. 1. They're planning to do some location shots in Banff, Alta.
"You're going to see buffoons like us trying to get on skis," says Millar. "I'm just hoping nobody breaks an arm so we can still do the tour."
It's hoped the special, which will also include concert footage from a show outside Toronto, Ont., will hit the airwaves next year.
"My mother explained it best while she was living a few years ago, she said 'There's no rest for the wicked,'" says Millar.
"As long as the fans keep coming out to see us, we'll keep doing this for a while yet," he adds.
emcphee@nsnews.com
