The Town I Loved So Well Song Lyrics and Chords by The Dubliners
The Town I Loved So Well
Recorded by The Dubliners
Written by m Phil Coulter
D7
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In my
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memo
D7
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ry I will
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always
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see
The
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town that
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I have loved so
D7
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well
Where our
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school played
D7
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ball by the
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gas yard
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wall
And we
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laughed through the
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smoke
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and the
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smell
Going
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home in the
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rain running
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up the dark
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
lane
Past the
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jail and
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
down behind the
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G#7
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fountain
Those were
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happy
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days in so
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many many
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B
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ways
In the
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town I
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B
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loved
D7
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G7
G#7
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A#7
B7
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so
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B
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well
In the early
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morning the
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shirt-factory
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horn
Called
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women from
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Craigeen the Moor and the
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Bog
While the
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man on the
D7
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dole played the
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mother's
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role
Fed the
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children and
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then
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trained the
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dogs
And when
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times got
D7
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tough there was
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just about
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
enough
But they
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saw it
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
through without com
D7
D#7
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G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
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plaining
For
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deep
in
D7
D#7
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F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
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side was a
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burning
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pride
In the
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G#
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town I
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B
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loved
D7
D#7
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F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
so
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G#
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B
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well
There was music
D7
D#7
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F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
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C#7
there in the
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Derry
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air
Like a
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language that we could
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B
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all
under
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A#7
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stand
I
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remember the
D7
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G#7
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B7
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day when I
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earned my first
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pay
When I
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played in the
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B
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small
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
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A7
A#7
B7
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pick-up
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band
There I
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spent my
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youth and to
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tell
D7
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G#7
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C#7
you the
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
truth
I was
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sad to
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
leave it all be
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
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hind
me
For I'd
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learned about
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life and I've
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found a
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B
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wife
In the
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D#
E
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G#
A
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B
town I
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G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
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loved
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
so
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G#
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A#
B
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C#
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D#
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well
But when I re
D7
D#7
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F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
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C#7
turned how my
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B
eyes have
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B
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burned
To
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E
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F#
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B
see how a
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B
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E
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town could be brought to its
D7
D#7
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G7
G#7
A7
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knees
By the
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B
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C#
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armored
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G#7
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cars and the
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B
bombed-out
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B
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C#
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E
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bars
And the
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D
D#
E
F
F#
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G#
A
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B
gas that hangs
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
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on to
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
every
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C#
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D#
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breeze
Now the
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D#
E
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F#
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G#
A
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B
army's
in
D7
D#7
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F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
stalled by that
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B
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C#
D
D#
E
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F#
old
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
gas yard
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
wall
And the
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
damned barbed
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
wire gets higher and
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
higher
With their
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C#
D
D#
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tanks and their
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D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
guns oh my
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D#
E
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F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
God what have they
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A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
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done
To the
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D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
town I
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
loved
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
so
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
well
Now the music's
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
gone but they
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
carry
G
G#
A
A#
B
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C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
on
For their
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D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
spirit's been
G
G#
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A#
B
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C#
D
D#
E
F
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bruised never bro
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
ken
They will
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
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not
for
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
get but their
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
hearts are a
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
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set
On
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
tomorrow and
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
peace
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
once
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
again
For what's
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
done is
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
done and what's
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
won
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
is
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
won
And what's
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
lost is
Am
A#m
Bm
Cm
C#m
Dm
D#m
Em
Fm
F#m
Gm
G#m
lost and gone for
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
ever
I can
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
only
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
pray for a
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
bright brand new
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
day
In the
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
G
G#
A
A#
B
town I
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
loved
D7
D#7
E7
F7
F#7
G7
G#7
A7
A#7
B7
C7
C#7
so
G
G#
A
A#
B
C
C#
D
D#
E
F
F#
well
FAQ
Who sang the the song The Town I Loved So Well?
- The song The Town I Loved So Well was sang by The Dubliners.
Who is The Dubliners?
- The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personnel over their fifty-year career, but the group's success was centred on lead singers Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew. The band garnered international success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads and instrumentals. The band were regulars on the folk scenes in both Dublin and London in the early 1960s, and were signed to the Major Minor label in 1965 after backing from Dominic Behan who was paid by Major-Minor to work with the Dubliners and help them to build a better act fit for larger concert hall venues. The Dubliners worked with Behan regularly between 1965 and 1966 Behan wrote numerous songs for this act including the song McAlpine's Fusiliers created specifically to showcase Ronnie Drew's gravel voice. They went on to receive extensive airplay on Radio Caroline which was part owned by Phil Solomon CEO of Major Minor, and eventually appeared on Top of the Pops in 1967 with hits "Seven Drunken Nights" (which sold over 250,000 copies in the UK) and "The Black Velvet Band". Often performing political songs considered controversial at the time, they drew criticism from some folk purists and Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ had placed an unofficial ban on their music from 1967 to 1971. During this time the band's popularity began to spread across mainland Europe and they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. The group's success remained steady right through the 1970s and a number of collaborations with The Pogues in 1987 saw them enter the UK Singles Chart on another two occasions.The Dubliners were instrumental in popularising Irish folk music in Europe, though they did not quite attain the popularity of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in the United States. They influenced many generations of Irish bands, and their legacy can to this day be heard in the music of artists such as The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. Much adored in their native country, covers of Irish ballads by Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly tend to be regarded as definitive versions. One of the most influential Irish acts of the 20th century, they celebrated 50 years together in 2012, making them Ireland's longest surviving musical act. Also in 2012, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards bestowed them with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Dubliners announced their retirement in the autumn of 2012, after 50 years of performing, following the death of original member Barney McKenna. However, the surviving members of the group, continued touring under the name of "The Dublin Legends", and as of 2021, Sean Cannon is the only remaining member of the Dubliners in that group, following the retirement of Patsy Watchorn in 2014 and the death of Eamonn Campbell in 2017.