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April 5, 2024 14 mins

Welcome to another episode of our podcast where we have a special guest, Lee Jones, the talented guitarist from the famous band, The Tumbling Paddies. Known for their traditional Irish music, The Tumbling Paddies have become one of the most sought-after entertainers in Ireland. Not only have they gained immense popularity in their home country, but they've also left an indelible mark on the global music scene through their tours.

In this episode, Lee sheds light on the journey of the band, revealing the humble beginnings of the band members. He recounts how they all met through traditional music sessions and how their shared love for music transformed them from friends to bandmates. He also talks about how they gradually transitioned from playing in local pubs to performing in international music festivals.

While their journey might seem like an overnight success, Lee assures listeners that it was anything but. He shares the band's struggles and challenges as they worked tirelessly to cultivate their music and create a unique sound. Their hard work eventually paid off when they started gaining recognition and attracting huge crowds to their gigs.

Lee also discusses their recent tours, their ever-increasing fan base spanning different age groups, and how they maintain a close connection with their fans through social media. He emphasizes the role of their fans, describing how their energy and devotion keeps the band going despite the gruelling schedule of tours and performances.

With two albums under their belt and another in the making, The Tumbling Paddies show no signs of slowing down. When asked about his favourite song, Lee confessed that it's hard to pick a favourite from their array of stunning tracks.

Carrying cherished memories and boundless passion for music, Lee and The Tumbling Paddies continue to charm their fans and treat them to soul-soothing traditional Irish music.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Good evening, everybody. So today's guest is Lee Jones.
Lee is the guitarist for the famous band, The Tumbling Paddies.
The Tumbling Paddies have been steadily grown in Ireland to become one of Ireland's
most sought after entertainers.
We have Gareth, Ciarán, Lee, Martin, Oisín and John.
So Lee, thank you so much for taking the time to come on today. How are you?

(00:24):
No bother here. Thanks for having me. Not at all. Tell me this.
What relationship did you have with the other members of the band?
How did the band start? Tell us a bit about yourself.
Well, a couple of us went to school together. We were all in different year groups at school.
But myself, Ciarán and John and Aisín, we all went to the same school.

(00:47):
But basically, we met through traditional music, music sessions,
traditional music sessions over there.
And we would have travelled with them together just because we're from,
we're all from Fermanagh so we would have known each other through that and
going to different music festivals and touring about the place so we kind of
knew all each other from out there.

(01:07):
Martin, he went to a different school but again we just knew him from playing
traditional music, from playing traditional music sessions.
Oh very good and tell me who's the youngest of the band members?
Oisín's the the baby and I'm told that you're the great spokesperson for the
band, that you swallowed the Blarney stone, you could talk for Ireland.

(01:31):
Lee, I want you to describe each band member with one word.
So we'll start off we'll go with Gareth first.
Gareth I would say Gareth's a very very strong character.
Very strong character okay we'll say strong you only have one word alright only

(01:56):
one word Ciarán Ciarán Talinda,
How would you describe yourself? Oh, geez. Amazing. I'll describe you. Out of this world, just.
I love me. Who do you love? Martin. Martin, hard worker. Oisín.

(02:21):
Oisín, smart. John.
John, musical. Very, very musical. and I have to throw it in there because I
was talking to him today he's just hilarious your manager Andy how would you
describe him summed it up there hilarious,

(02:41):
do you know what he had me in stitches so much so I've invited him onto the podcast,
he's good crack now so tell us what tours are you doing at the moment you're
only back from Australia I was told how did that go yeah Australia was great
and we're absolutely blown away and with the crowds it's the Irish over there.
It's nearly as if Australia is top the other half of the Irish.

(03:03):
I don't know. Really? I was told that before. They're very like the Irish.
I don't know. We were just welcomed massively and everyone just seemed to enjoy
the shows and we were just going away with the crowds and the energy they brought to the shows.
It was a surreal experience to be honest. I would say so.
I, seeing you guys for the first time, I went to, oh my gosh,

(03:25):
last year, I was only telling Andy about it today,
Cowboys and Heroes and I was oh yes yeah absolutely I'm going to go again this
year have you got your dates here yeah we're going we're actually we're actually
doing a launch night for it this evening so.
We're having this evening they're hosting a launch night for the festival yeah
it's a great festival probably one of the best festivals in Ireland last year

(03:48):
the crowds it was phenomenal I don't know
how they fitted everyone in but it was I don't know how they did do you know
last year when I went my engagement ring ring fell the diamond came out of the
ring and the next day you know three and a half thousand in one room the next day I found the diamond,
Oh, jeez. Are you serious? Just the diamond, not even the ring.
I don't know how I found it.
I think it was because I was so engrossed. Mike Denver and everyone and yourselves.

(04:12):
I mean, all my favourite bands were playing. So I wouldn't even entertain or be with my friends.
I was just at the stage and I was banging, you know, looking at the, just in awe.
And I knew it had to be there. So I went the next day. So I was delighted.
Okay, enough about me, Lee. I have
so much. There's people here that have questions and everything for you.
But I want to find out, what has it been like? I mean, you've been together

(04:34):
10 years, is that right? Eight years?
Yeah, nine years out of 10 coming on Easter Sunday, yeah. And when did it all
start for the fame, for the RT appearances on the Late Late Show,
for your having a manager? Where did it all, how did it start?
Basically, we were trolling away for years on ourselves. Started off,
it was just doing, you know, as I said, sessions around pubs and stuff like that.

(04:55):
And then we got into doing kind of like coffee music, you know,
at weddings and stuff like that. At that stage, there was only really four of us.
When we, myself, Ciarán, Martin and Gareth, and then, we decided maybe we would
wake us into a band, maybe to bring things a wee bit further.
So then John came on board and drums, and then shortly after that,

(05:15):
Oisín, Oisín came in then on the keys.
And I suppose from then it was kind of just a step by step.
We were gigging away and gigging away hoping for that bit of a break.
But there was a lot of work, I'd say a lot of hard slog, but in their years, years.
I remember years ago my father used to drive this wee red caddy van.
The thing would hardly go.

(05:38):
It wasn't a pretty looking sight, but he used to bring the gear for us to gigs and stuff like that.
Then Andy came on board and I suppose he pushed the thing on a little bit.
I suppose with the help of Andy, he was a massive drive behind the whole thing
as well pushing things on all these ideas for us you know and in fairness we

(06:00):
follow through every time,
So, yeah, he's been very, very good for us. He's an honest person.
I suppose the last maybe two or three years has really kicked off and the crowds have been huge.
But there was definitely a lot of work put in in them down the latter years
at the very start. It's true.
Everybody says, you know, and I suppose you get it in your own hometown,

(06:21):
oh God, an overnight success. It's never an overnight success.
There's 10 years, 20 years before.
Oh, definitely. I suppose a lot of people, maybe there's only maybe came across
us maybe recently or whatever,
they think that maybe that is the case but it's it was
definitely not like no not at all do you
look around for one and i that we're going to smaller pubs in
around blakes and in blake for lack of a an

(06:44):
example of a local village we used to play and it was we
used to play in in very very very small pubs
like they made me know maybe 10 people there and
they make me 10 people there whenever we'd be finished playing there do any
of these pubs ever ever ask you guys back and say well we
knew you or we had you before you became famous do
you ever play for the people that helped you at the start when you

(07:06):
can i've been here yeah 100 we're trying to we try to play wherever we can i
suppose it's andy's call now and he's the man at the top of the throne so have
you got have you got a story now that you can tell me about andy so i can flag
him when he's on he told me that you i said is there anything now before i have
leon is there or anything I can or cannot say,
he says, you ask Lee anything you want. He says, that man's a madman.

(07:32):
Jesus. Andy speaks very highly of me, doesn't he?
I think there'll be a lot of stories, but it couldn't be for here, will it?
Okay, we'll have to ask them after. It would have made a great podcast.
I'll tell you, it might be off camera.
So tell me, Lee, your journey throughout the whole band, do you ever get sick of it?

(07:52):
You know, you probably have people coming up the whole time can I have a picture
can I have this can you come here how are you finding it all,
It's a great experience here at Slug. It's where anyone wants to be, just playing music.
We're just very, very lucky that we are where we are at the minute.
The things are going well, crowds are coming in, and it's just a matter of trying
to sustain that, you know.
Yes, it does get tiring on the road, but at the same time, it's the crowds and,

(08:16):
you know, the whole excitement of going to a gig, I don't know,
but it keeps you going all the time.
And, you know, it's just, we're very, very lucky. We really are.
And do you guys use a social media platform for people to reach out?
Do you interact with your fans or is that left for its own I do yeah Instagram,
TikTok, Facebook there yeah we interact in a way,

(08:38):
interaction in a way absolutely you have to look after your fans and your age
group it's all different age groups it's not just young people there's every
age group there when you're at your gig is that right Andy's famous saying is
to our promoters that we pull anything from 9 to 90 year olds.

(08:59):
That's what I said to Andy what is he going to do I mean he's around with you
guys he's living his best life what happens when you guys go off and you're
retired what's going to happen to poor Andy I don't know Andy will come with us and I.
Andy will not be too far away you won't let him go so where do you guys live
now are you still living I know you're on the road but do you all are you all from Fermanagh,

(09:20):
we're all from Fermanagh yeah yeah we're all around Anna Skilling around 10
metres radius from Anna Skilling so yeah Yeah, we've all known each other for a long time.
We've all been friends from a young age, you know. And how many albums have you guys had?
We've one original album there of us completing our own songs out.
And then we've two albums, actually. We've another album then with our live

(09:43):
album that was recorded between Mayo and Killarney.
Really? So we've two albums out. And there's another album in the process of
making. So hopefully we'll get it out in the coming months. And what's your favourite song? song?
No, I have too many. Really? Just the way I am. It's my favourite.
I listen to it all the time.
I do be pottering around the house and I always have it on. I put it on for my parents.

(10:06):
If you look at my TikTok, I had it on for when they came to the UK.
I just absolutely love that song and I love how it makes people feel.
I've seen everybody, you know, just instantly their energies risen with it.
It's just a beautiful, beautiful song.
How do you feel singing that so so much. Are you sick of it?
No, I don't think I'm sick of the way I am. It's a great song.

(10:27):
Gareth was the main man behind it. Him and Derek Ryan wrote it.
But no, it's a great song and it seems to get a great people seem to enjoy it
anyway we play it. What is it about?
It's about, we don't have to ask Gareth that, he wrote it.
Basically, I suppose just telling the story of Gareth, but he's literally just
the way he is and whatever else.

(10:49):
I listened to an interview and he was saying that he, yeah, he wrote it with
Derek, but he said it was during lockdown, wasn't it?
And he was saying that he was spending, just listen to the words,
you know, spend the weekends over drinking, Mondays overthinking,
typical Irish weekend, I would say for any of us.
Yeah definitely maybe that's why it latched on so many people but no it's a

(11:10):
great song and it's going really well for us did you did mummy and daddy have
music background or are you the first person in the family my grandfather my
mother's father would have played fiddle and we'd hold him side by ear and he would have sang,
but no I don't do any singing but I also knew any connection yeah he would have
he would have said it would they must be so proud of you,

(11:33):
I I don't know.
Every son probably hopes their parents are proud of them. Do you have any siblings, Lee?
I have a sister, yeah. She does a bit of singing. She does singing.
Okay, and she'll never join the band, no? She's never looking for a place in the band, no?
No, she's recently married there, so she's busy at all the things.

(11:57):
Oh, well, I'm sure they're all proud of you. Right, well, I know that you have
a busy schedule today, so I'm going to ask you a few questions,
maybe just two if you had one superpower what would it be and why to never get tired,
you wouldn't have to sleep i'm actually didn't have to sleep it'd be great and

(12:18):
you just did the whole time i've never got that answer before to never be tired
and you're only how old are you,
26. 26. My gosh. Okay.
I've got order delivery at the moment. Will you guys be playing in Sligo anytime
soon? That's Sarah from Sligo.

(12:39):
Yeah, there is definitely a date. Check out our website and on our social medias.
All dates are there. We are having a date in Sligo sometime soon.
And Lee, before you go, you're coming to the UK.
Do you know when? Well, obviously you would know when. When are you going to
the UK? Yeah, we're going to the UK on the 24th of May.
We're doing like a mini tour there. We're doing Leeds Air Centre on the 24th of May.

(13:04):
And then the 25th, we're doing the Ladder Ballroom in Camden in London.
And then on the Sunday, then we're doing the O2 in Liverpool.
So tickets are flying out for them there. I think there's one very nearly sold out.
So yeah, we're looking forward to that. And then there's another one down in Glasgow.
High school we're actually doing the borrow

(13:27):
lands oh these are big venues so
when you come to leeds i'm going
to come see you guys because i'm in york though oh
very good you're a close hand yeah i'll come bring
the dancing shoes and you what bring the dancing shoes then get all your stuff
ready i have all the dancing shoes behind me here ready to go lee i have a young

(13:49):
niece Sorka McNamee I'd love you to say a big shout out to Sorka because she's
the biggest fan you have at the moment Oh jeepers well hello Sorka how are you.
Massive shout out to you and I hope we'll meet again in the very near future,
You're very very good okay Lee all the best and congratulations on the success
for the band because you're keeping Ireland very happy at the moment and everywhere

(14:12):
else No Ireland thanks very much and thanks for getting me on this and we'll
be in touch and see you at the gig Peace, Coach.
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