Reminder of Cork’s Arcadia bands

Thanks to Des O’Driscoll (Arts, June 13) for his very interesting article on Cork City’s music scene, reminding us of the history of Cork’s Arcadia Ballroom, as it was initially known.

It also reminds us of the contribution the Prendergast family made to the promotion of the “Dance band era” when on Monday, July 8, 1946, they introduced to Arcadia the first of many famous, what we now call big bands. The first was Oscar Rabin followed by Vic Lewis, Eric Winstone, Victor Sylvestor, Freddy Randall, Harry Gold, Jimmy Shand, Sid Phillips, Chris Barber, Kenny Ball, Bobby Lamb, Humphrey Lyttelton, Gerardo, Harry Roy.

The list goes on and on into the 1970s. The scene changed coming into the 1960s with such names as Emile Ford, Karl Denver, Eden Kane, Shane Fenton, Jim Reeves, with the last recorded booking the Wolfe Tones on Saturday, October 24, 1970. Saturdays were the predominant nights for these pre showband gigs.

The Prendergasts were also associated with the Gresham Rooms, a delightful ballroom and restaurant. It had an excellent Cork resident sextet featuring the O’Sullivan brothers, Bob Madden (trumpet), Freddy Flannery (saxophone), Sid Baker (Imported!) on drums. Thanks Arcadia and Gresham for the great music.

Ray Fitzgerald

Douglas

Cork