Leo O'Kelly
It's hard to believe that this will be the first time Leo O'Kelly has played in The Sportsmans.
The fact is that by the time music began in The Sportsmans in 1977 the ex-member of Emmet Spiceland and Tír Na nÓg was building a successful solo career around Europe, basing himself from Amsterdam and London. When he returned to Ireland in 1985, The Sportsmans was gone.
Music fans from those days will remember Leo best as one half of Tír Na nÓg, the band that occupied a place in every bedsit record collection. (You remember that collection: Pink Floyd, Dylan's Greatest Hits, Janis Ian, Jethro Tull, some early Horslips, the Rolling Stones one with the zip on the cover, . . .) As well as their three successful Chrysalis albums, Leo and Sonny Condell had toured extensively, playing with acts such as Procul Harum, Jethro Tull, The Who, T.Rex, Elton John, Roxy Music, Cat Stevens and The Velvet Underground. Acts that supported Tír Na nÓg in their turn included Jasper Carrott and Supertramp.
On his return Leo was once again seen regularly performing around the city and the country, both solo and with friends, including occasional revivals of Tír Na nÓg. In recent years, however, his own solo career has taken off again, beginning with his excellent first solo album "Glare" in 2001. A movie appearance, a documentary screened on RTE, and a second album followed. He was also featured in Carrie Crowley's popular Snapshots radio programme and his song "On My way Home" appears in the recent movie "Trouble With Sex".