The legendary Celtic band, The Irish Rovers, have been entertaining audiences with their upbeat folk-based music for 60 years — but as it turns out, this Irish band has origins right here in Toronto. Band founders George Millar and Jimmy Ferguson, both born in Northern Ireland, found themselves living in Toronto in the early 1960s. They were teenagers and, so, started singing together in 1963 for cigarettes and beer money.
According to a Spotify profile on the band, Millar’s mother overheard the duo rehearsing and suggested that they use the name the Irish Rovers for their band name, taken from the song “The Irish Rover.”
A year later, Millar (guitar, vocals, and banjo) and Ferguson (vocals) added George’s cousin Joe Millar (vocals, accordion) to the group. The trio expanded to a quartet after heading to Calgary, where George’s older brother Will Millar (guitar, banjo, vocals) joined the lineup. They became popular. Like, really popular. By the late 1980s, with hits like “Wasn’t That a Party” and the Christmas classic “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”, the band had achieved international acclaim. At that point, the group had hosted three international TV series, recorded 25 albums and played at five world expos — Montreal (1967), Osaka (1970), Okinawa (1976), Vancouver (1986), and Brisbane (1988).
Group members have changed throughout the years — George is still present, but as of 2023, the band included Ian Millar, Geoffrey Kelly (flutes and whistle), Gerry O’connor (fiddle), Fred Graham (bodhran), Davey Walker (keyboards), Shane Farrell (banjo), Jimmy Keane (accordion), and Kevin Evans (singer). Still, as the Belfast Telegraph noted, this Irish-Canadian group has maintained an ability “to deliver a rollicking, rousing performance of good cheer”, so audiences are usually left singing and clapping along to songs.
“Their songs have become anthems of revelry and joy among generation after generation of fans,” the publication added.
The group has produced over 50 albums in North America and many more internationally, with their second album, “The Unicorn” (released in 1967) rocketing the band from coffee houses in North America to concert halls worldwide (the group once even owned a now defunct pub on Eglinton Ave, The Unicorn Pub, aptly named after the band’s hit album/song).
Today, the band continues to tour sold-out shows across North America (including a special St. Patrick’s Day performance in Saskatoon). Alas, there are no performances set for Toronto in 2025, but you can check out their tour schedule here.
