Dolphin Records (Ireland)
{{short description|Irish record label founded in 1968}}
{{Confused|Dolphin Records}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox record label
| name = Dolphin Records
| image =
| caption =
| image_bg =
| parent =
| founded = {{circa|February 1968}}{{cite journal| last = White | first = Lawrence William |url = https://www.dib.ie/biography/dunphy-sean-a9885 | publisher = Royal Irish Academy | journal = Dictionary of Irish Biography | date = 2016 | doi = 10.3318/dib.009885.v1 | title = Dunphy, Sean }}{{cite web |last=Keane | first= Eamonn | title=Dolphin Records |publisher=irishrock.org |date=2016-07-16 |url=https://www.irishrock.org/labels/dolphin.html |access-date=2025-02-23 }}
| founder = Joe O'Reilly Snr.
| status = Active
| distributor =
| genre = Irish rock, traditional Irish music, novelty songs
| country = Ireland
| location = South City Business Park, Oldbawn, Tallaght, Dublin
}}
Dolphin Records is a record label, based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1968 by Joe O'Reilly Snr.{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Andrea|date=2018-08-20|title=How the best man won this woman's heart|url=https://www.independent.ie/life/how-the-best-man-won-this-womans-heart/37226773.html |access-date=2025-02-26|newspaper=Irish Independent|language=en}} As of 2018, Joe's son Paul O'Reilly was acting as managing director of the label, and three of his children had also joined the business.{{cite web|last=Foley| first=Ann Marie| date = 2018-08-18| url = https://www.catholicireland.net/pope-francis-irish-welcome-music-cd-released/ | publisher = Catholic Ireland | website =catholicireland.net | title = Pope Francis – An Irish Welcome music CD released |access-date = 2025-03-01 }}
History
The founding of the record label in 1968 was preceded by the opening of a record shop by O'Reilly named Dolphin Discs in the Dolphin's Barn suburb of Dublin in 1958.
As of 1976, Dolphin Records, as well as its associated retail chain Dolphin Discs, were still owned by the O'Reilly family, one of whom (Joe) began dating singer Mary Black that year. Joe and his older brother Paul eventually started a second record label, Dara Records, on which to launch Black's career feeling that "she was different to their Dolphin artists".{{Cite news|last=Smith|first=Andrea|date=2014-11-02|title='Being away from my children while touring was heartbreaking. I felt so guilty...' |url=https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/being-away-from-my-children-while-touring-was-heartbreaking-i-felt-so-guilty/30702242.html |access-date=2025-02-23|newspaper=Irish Independent|language=en}} The compilation album A Woman's Heart released by Dara Records in 1992, achieved massive success and "remain(ed) the biggest-selling album in Ireland" as of 2018.
The company was registered with the Companies Registration Office in 2003, with an address at Great Ship Street, Dublin.{{cite web|url = https://core.cro.ie/e-commerce/company/934377 | publisher = Companies Registration Office | website =core.cro.ie | title = Records for company number 234797 (Dolphin Records) |access-date = 2025-02-23 }} As of December 2021, Dolphin Records remained active as both a record label and retail chain.
In 2006, Dolphin Records was noted as being the only Irish-owned record label out of the top five highest earning independent labels in the country that year.{{sfn|O'Flynn|2009|page=59}}
In 2018, the label released a commemorative double album entitled An Irish Welcome to mark the visit by Pope Francis to Ireland in August of that year.{{Cite news|last=Collins|first=Liam| date=2018-07-01|title=Zozimus| newspaper=Irish Independent |language=en}} Speaking to the Irish Independent, Paul O'Reilly was reluctant to divulge which artists had declined to appear on the album, mentioning "Some of the older ones were not so keen, but younger people were queuing up to get on it", adding that the album was "for believers and non-believers (and) it has a religious theme obviously, but it's not in your face."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when bands were "at a loose end" and unable to perform to audiences, Paul O'Reilly asked Irish band Aslan to record a version of The Fields of Athenry in their "distinct style".{{cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Riccardo | url = https://www.hotpress.com/music/aslan-release-last-ever-recording-featuring-christy-dignam-with-the-fields-of-athenry-22980891 |date=2023-07-21 |publisher = Hot Press | website = hotpress.com | title = Aslan release last ever recording featuring Christy Dignam with 'The Fields of Athenry' | access-date = 2025-03-01 }}{{Cite news|last=Quigley
|first=Maeve |date=2023-07-22|title=I Always Thought Christy Was Invincible |newspaper=Irish Daily Mail|language=en}} The band recorded it, which turned out to be their last recording with lead singer Christy Dignam owing to his death in June 2023.
=Dolphin Discs=
A retail element of the label, named Dolphin Discs, was set up by Joe O'Reilly Snr in Dolphin's Barn in 1958, a decade prior to the launch of Dolphin Records.{{Cite news|last=Hennessy
|first=Michelle |date=2012-09-24|title=Dolphin Discs to close after 40 years on Dublin's Talbot Street |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/dolphin-discs-607707-Sep2012/?utm_source=businessetc |access-date=2025-02-26|newspaper=TheJournal.ie|language=en}} The O'Reilly family lived in the nearby suburb of Rialto at the time, later moving to Templeogue.
By 1979, there were five Dolphin Discs shops in Dublin city alone, according to a Hot Press Yearbook for that year, located at 3 Burgh Quay, 59 Saint Stephen's Street, 22 Marlborough Street, 164 Capel Street, and 2a Talbot Street.{{cite web|last=Wynne-Jones | first=Steve | url = https://909originals.com/2019/03/16/lost-in-music-dublins-record-shops-40-years-on/ | website =909originals.com | title = Lost In Music: Dublin's record shops, 40 years on |date=2019-03-16| access-date = 2025-02-23 }}
In September 2012, Paul O'Reilly announced that the Talbot Street store would be closing by the end of the month. O'Reilly pointed to "digital downloads as the main culprit for the decline in business at the 40-year-old store, as much as 40% in the past three years".{{Cite news|last=O'Driscoll|first=Des|date=2012-09-28|title=Scene and Heard |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-20209066.html |access-date=2025-02-26|newspaper=The Irish Examiner|language=en}}
Notable artists who have appeared on Dolphin Records
{{div col|colwidth=15em|gap=2em|rules=yes|small=no}}
- Aslan
- Sean Dunphy{{Cite news|date=2011-05-22|title=Sean Dunphy (obituary) |url=https://www.independent.ie/world-news/sean-dunphy/26734948.html |access-date=2025-03-01|newspaper=Irish Independent|language=en}}
- Paddy Cole
- Philomena Begley
- Muriel Day
- The Wolfe Tones
- Shay Healy
- Maisie McDaniel
- The Freshmen
- Cromwell{{cite web |last=Keane | first= Eamonn | title=Cromwell (1970-) |publisher=irishrock.org |url=https://www.irishrock.org/irodb/bands/cromwell.html |access-date=2025-02-23 }}
- Paddy McGuigan
- The Barleycorn
- Dublin City Ramblers
- Noel Purcell
- Fureys and Davey Arthur
- Red Hurley
- Dermot Morgan
- Brendan Bowyer
- Gene Stuart and the Mighty Avons
- Na Fili
- John McCormack
- Ronnie Drew{{Cite news|last=Smith
|first=Andrea |date=2006-11-12|title=Ronnie's note of optimism |url= https://www.independent.ie/life/ronnies-note-of-optimism/26418690.html|access-date=2025-02-26|newspaper=Irish Independent|language=en}}
{{Div col end}}
Singles catalogue (extract)
| class="wikitable" border="1" |
| Cat. No.
! Title ! Artist ! Year |
|---|
| DOS 1
| Two Loves / Gold and Silver | Sean Dunphy and the Hoedowners | 1968 |
| DOS 2
| Bottle of Wine / Creole Jazz | Paddy Cole & The Capitol Showband | 1968 |
| DOS 3
| Simon Says / White Cliffs of Dover | College Boys | 1968 |
| DOS 4
| Who's Taking You Home Tonight? / Mother Machree | The Vanguard Six Showband (from Tralee) | 1968 |
| DOS 5
| Ballad of Amelia Earhart / Bile Them Cabbage Down | The Smokey Mountain Ramblers | 1968 |
| DOS 6
| Tommy Jones / Creeque Alley | Oscar Whifney Sound | 1968 |
| DOS 7
| Henry My Son / Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms | Weaver Folk | 1968 |
| DOS 8
| Far Away Out In Australia / Portobello Road | Oliver Kane | 1968 |
| DOS 9
| Monkey Time / Song and Dance | John Drummond & The Capitol Showband | 1968 |
| DOS 11
| My Little Son / Heartaches For A Dime | The Old Cross Bandshow & Philomena Begley | 1968 |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
= Sources =
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book |last=O'Flynn |first=Jon |title=The Irishness of Irish Music |year=2009 |publisher= Routledge |location=Milton Park |isbn=978-1138265233}}
{{refend}}
External links
- {{Facebook page|DolphinMusicGroup}}
- [https://www.instagram.com/dolphinmusicgroup/?fbclid=IwY2xjawInpXNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfjHBULEH6JLslQP5Y9quWpX5Hxgip3lEj7bNsBfIFAC3cvwpEHaUyPxMg_aem_h8SARoWEMR6B-ycc1BkfVg# Instagram page]
- [https://open.spotify.com/user/dolphinmusicgroup?fbclid=IwY2xjawInpXVleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHXJf3IpzObbmo7uNhjJHq_pzJ34s_yyXTr0oOplukAZJY-LmHD38U9DSyQ_aem_64_wxvXGxVqQfR2mOMK-PA Spotify page]
- [https://www.youtube.com/@DolphinMusicGroup Youtube page]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Record labels established in 1968
Category:1968 establishments in Ireland
{{Ireland-record-label-stub}}