| The Fureys | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Alias: | The Fureys and Davey Arthur, The Furey Brothers, The Furey Family |
| Origin: | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genre: | Folk music |
| Years Active: | 1974–present |
| Associated Acts: | Finbar Furey, Davey Arthur, The Clancy Brothers |
| Website: | The Fureys.com |
| Current Members: | Eddie Furey George Furey Adam Kelly Camillus Hiney Tony Murray |
| Past Members: | Finbar Furey Paul Furey (deceased) Dominic Leech |
The Fureys are an Irish folk band originally formed in 1974. The group consisted initially of four brothers who grew up in Ballyfermot, Dublin.
Brothers Eddie, Finbar, Paul and George Furey are of Irish Traveller heritage.[1] Two of the band's singles have been number one hits in Ireland, and two of their albums charted in the United Kingdom. In collaborations with Davey Arthur, they have also been credited as The Fureys and Davey Arthur.
Prior to the band's formation, two of the brothers toured as a duo, known simply by their names as Eddie and Finbar Furey.[2] For a while in 1969–1970, the duo performed with The Clancy Brothers and appeared on two of the Irish folk group's albums.[2] The second of these albums contained two songs composed by the Fureys, "Flowers in the Valley" and "Jennifer Gentle". In the meanwhile, their youngest brother Paul Furey had, together with Davey Arthur and Brendan Leeson, formed a band called The Buskers.[2] Eddie and Finbar and the Buskers appeared together in Germany at the "Irish Folk Festival" in 1974, where they performed as The Furey Brothers. The Buskers, now with the addition of George Furey, appeared there again a year later as The Furey Family, when they were joined by their father Ted, a renowned traditional fiddler, who was 73 at that time. Ted Furey had recorded a solo fiddle album Toss the Feathers released by the Outlet label in 1967.[3]
Finbar, Eddie, and Paul Furey formed a folk group called Tam Linn in 1976 with Davey Arthur.[2] When their brother George joined them later that year, the band changed its name to The Furey Brothers and Davey Arthur.[2] They eventually simplified their name to The Fureys and Davey Arthur (and just The Fureys when Arthur did not perform with them).[2]
The band started out playing traditional Irish folk music, but quickly changed their sound, leaving the folk music behind, and turned to mainstream easy-listening songs and ballads.
In 1981, The Fureys released their most successful single "When You Were Sweet Sixteen", which became a worldwide hit, reaching No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart,[4] No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart and No. 9 on the Australian Singles Chart.[5] "The Green Fields of France" (a title commonly but incorrectly given to Eric Bogle's "No Man's Land") also gave them an Irish No. 1, remaining in the single charts for twenty-eight weeks. They also had two Top 40 British albums called Golden Days and At the End of the Day.[2]
Other notable songs include "Gallipoli", "The Red Rose Cafe", and "Steal Away". As of October 24, 2019 the band was still recording and touring. In 2018, the band celebrated their 40th anniversary.
Finbar left the band to begin his own solo career in 1996, with Eddie, George, and Davey Arthur continuing some touring in Ireland, the UK and the European continent. Paul Furey died suddenly in June 2002.[6]
All four of the brothers married and had children. Finbar's son, Martin Furey, is a folk singer and musician with The High Kings. George's son Anthony is the singer with the Young Folk. Eddie's daughter Sarah-Jane is a streamer in the video gaming industry.
See also: The Fureys discography.