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The P.J. Tierney nine-piece orchestra playing in the Crofton Hotel, Carlow, in 1956. A self taught musician Pa Joe played in many bands before starting his own in 1949. The Glen Miller hit ‘American Patrol’ was the band’s signature tune. Pictured here are, left to right: Michael Foley, Sean Byrne, Jim Downey, John Hutton, P.J. Tierney, Bertie Whelan, Michael Byrne, Colette Dempsey and Bobby Kearns. His idol was the jazz musician Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong. When requested to sing in latter years Pa Joe’s theme song was ‘What a Wonderful World’:

I see skies of blue, clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.

And I say to myself,

What a wonderful world.

and so it was.

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'WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD' I see trees of green, red roses too I see them bloom for me and you And I think to myself what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue and clouds of white The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night And I think to myself what a wonderful world. The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of people going by I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do They're really saying I love you. I hear babies crying, I watch them grow They'll learn much more than I'll never know And I think to myself what a wonderful world Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.   Lyrics by LOUIS ARMSTRONG

The Big 8 Showband

This band 'The Big 8' which included Brendan Boyer and Tom Dunphy, Kelly and Dave Coady. The band was managed by T.J. Byrne of Mulberry, Larkfield. Carlow Source: The www.Jivenaires.com