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Youghal Thin Lizzy Fans Roll Back The Years On Album Cover - By Christy Parker
A GROUP of Youghal music fans are dancing in the moonlight as a photograph of them as teenagers attending a Thin Lizzy concert in 1980 has resurfaced as the sleeve of a 70’s rock compilation album.
The twelve men are featured on the cover of The Boys Are Back In Town, a 3-cd box set named after one of the band’s hits. The album features 60 hit tracks by such legends as Queen, Rod Stewart, The Who, Lou Reed, Slade, Leonard Skynard and of course Thin Lizzy.
Youghal 'Thin Lizzy' fans pictured outside the City Hall, Cork, way back on Sunday April 13th 1980 waiting for an alibi that was Thin Lizzy on their "Live & Dangerous" World Tour L/R Gene Twomey, Kieran'Gish' Broderick, Paul Moylan, Billy Broderick, Billy Lane, Michael 'Kirby' Kearns' (Standing), Kieran Maher,Tom O'Brien, Tony Hennessy, Paul Fitzgerald, Brian Murphy and Brendan Douglas. Thirty two years later they feature on the front cover of a rock compilation album.
Bedecked in all-denim, Doc Martins and long-haired, most of them –if not all- travelled by minibus to City Hall on Sunday April 13th to enjoy the Cork leg of the band’s ‘Live & Dangerous’ World Tour. Youghal compatriot and a photography student at Crawford School of Art Michael Hussey, also attended and gathered them for a group shot. “I was using a Pentax SLR and shot it in black white,” he recalls.
On the 30th anniversary of the gig Michael posted the picture on the local news website youghalonline.com. Fast forward two years and Nigel Pearce of London Design Corporation is trawling online libraries for an iconic image to represent 70’s rock for Universal Music TV’s compilation set. “We had only a day left and nothing amongst the mods and rockers images of the time suited” says Nigel.
In desperation Nigel Googled ‘Thin Lizzy Fans’ and discovered the photo of the Youghal boys in town for that epic night. It was exactly what we wanted,” he enthuses. “It captures the moment in time perfectly. And appropriately they also share Thin Lizzy’s nationality. I contacted Michael and he was extremely helpful in negotiating use of the image.”
Music Fans Reunited: Brian Murphy, Tom O'Brien, Kieran 'Gish' Broderick, Billy Lane, Gene Twomey and Tony Hennessy. They appear on the front cover of 'The Boys Are Back In Town' CD,a compilation of various classic rock anthems. The original black and white photo of the group was taken as they queued outside the City Hall in Cork City, way back on Sunday April 13th 1980, waiting to see Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy live in concert fresh after the successful 'Live and Dangerous Tour' in America. They are pictured (30th May 2012) here thirty two years later at the quayside in Youghal with the new CD.
All of the twelve have been identified and are still living. While they vividly remember the occasion –who wouldn’t remember a Thin Lizzy gig?!- there is some discrepancy over the details. “I remember Phil Lynott shouting “Are You Ready? and opening with that song,” says Billy Lane, then 18. “No. I definitely remember they started with Got to Give it Up,” insists Gene Twomey, three years younger. As Phil might observe, sometimes you Don’t Believe a Word…..
The Boys Are Back In Town is out now! Click on the advert below as seen on SKY Channels and UMTVUK
