Paddy McDevitt and the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights were formed by Paddy McDevitt who began his showband
career in 1958,while aged 16,  with the Melody Swingtette.
That band also included Maeve, Tony and Charlie Cannon -
the latter joining up with Paddy to form what would become the Nothern Lights in 1965
after the breakup of the Swingtettes.
Along with Johnny D. Early, Paddy Cunningham, Pat Gilespie, Sean Byrne
and Paddy Gallagher the Lights went on to build up a big following around Ireland.

 The nucleus of this Showband started in the Melody Swingtette Dance Band from Kilcar.
Paddy McDevitt , lead vocalist, takes up the story,”
I started playing the accordion in the Melody Swingtette back in 1958 .
I was 16 and still attending the local Technical School, and we played all the local gigs and also in Sligo and Leitrim and on occasions went as far south as Galway”. Also in the band was Sax. player Charlie Canning and his brother Tony also on Sax and later to feature in top bands such as The Travellers, Homesteaders, and presently playing with Ronnie Griffiths in American Pie. When the Swingtette split up in 1965 Paddy and Charlie got together with a few other local musicians from West Donegal and deciced to form the Dukes Showband. Resplendent in their smart dark blue suits the Dukes played their first dance in Kilcar in 1966 to celebrate the homecoming of a newly ordained priest, Fr. Seamus Hegarty , later to become Bishop of Raphoe and is at present Bishop of Derry,a prestigious engagement for the new Showband .
The line up was : Paddy McDevitt(Accordion/Vocalist) Charlie Canning (Tenor Sax/Clarinet),
Johnny D. Early (Sax.), Paddy (Ringo) Cunningham (Lead Guitar), Pat Gillespie (Bass Guitar), Sean Byrne (Rhythm Guitar) and Paddy Gallagher (Drums). Most of the lads shared the vocal spots in a mixed repertoire , country, pop, ballads and the general run of the mill Showband Fayre. They played all over their native County and had many date further South in the Western Counties of Galway and Mayo, They also made the usual Lenten tours of England and Scotland and their manager Charlie McCole (later to manage Margo and the Keynotes) made sure they had a full diary. Most of the boys had day jobs and Paddy Mc Devitt who was a carpenter remembers” We arrived back home at 7 am from playing a gig down South and went straight to work. We could have been playing 7 nights a week if we had wanted, There was plenty of work for the band” he recalls.

        1n 1968 however, they decided to go full time and change their name to the Northern Lights, Charlie Canning dropped out of the Band as he was a foreman carpenter with a firm in Killybegs, and could not go on the English Tours.The band took on more bookings, and now their music was being played to audiences in the North of Ireland and as far South as Waterford City. In 1971 they decided to make a recording, a 3 track midi single on the Velvet Label featuring Paddy singing a lovely Irish ballad “Little Isle of Green” on the A side and coupled with “a little guy Called Joe” and “Take care of the Little Things” on the B side. “It done just all right” relates the modest Kilcar man but in fact it was a very popular recording, and one which brought out his fine voice for this type of song. This recording cost £700 to produce including the relevant advertising data, posters etc. This popular outfit continued on until they finished up in 1973. Paddy was out of the Music scene for about 12 yrs, until former colleague, Pat Gillespie who was now doing the pub circuit needed “ a pull out” so Paddy went back and has been playing since , The band have since reformed on a few occasions , playing in The Blue Haven Bar , Kilcar , to raise funds for the Irish Wheelchair Assoc.
John Baird

Story of the Northern Lights  Showband
    By John Baird

Above: The Northern Lights Showband
Huge crowds turned out to the Blue Haven Killybegs Feb 11th 2004
for a one off re-union of The Northern Lights Showband.

From John Bairds collection
bairdart@iol.ie

-->