Select Image To Visit The Photo Gallery: The Miami Showband Memorial And Planned Relocation

Photographed By William Murphy

The Miami Showband Memorial

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SCHEDULED TO BE RELOCATED

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The Miami Showband Memorial ("Let's Dance") is currently situated on Parnell Square North in Dublin, outside the former National Ballroom. Unveiled in 2007 by then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the monument commemorates one of the most shocking atrocities of "The Troubles": the 1975 massacre of three members of the Miami Showband.

The memorial, designed by sculptor Redmond Herrity, consists of three distinct elements:

Bronze Plaque: Set into the stone wall, listing the names and ages of the victims.

Metal Sculpture: A stylised representation of musicians and dance movement.

Brass Footprints: Inlaid into the pavement, symbolising the dancing feet of the fans who flocked to see the band.

The location was chosen because the National Ballroom was a regular venue for the band, a place of joy that contrasted sharply with the brutality of their deaths. However, the memorial has faced criticism over the years, particularly from survivor Des Lee, who has described it as "barely visible" and argued it does not do justice to the band's legacy.

The Background Story: The Miami Showband Massacre

The Miami Showband were often referred to as the "Irish Beatles." In an era of sectarian conflict, they were a unifying force, crossing religious and political divides to perform for mixed crowds across the island.

On 31 July 1975, the band was travelling home to Dublin after a performance in Banbridge, County Down. Their minibus was flagged down at what appeared to be a military checkpoint by men in British Army uniforms. In reality, this was a bogus checkpoint manned by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group; some of the gunmen were also serving members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

While the band members were lined up by the roadside, two gunmen attempted to hide a time bomb under the driver's seat of the minibus. The intention was likely for the bomb to detonate later as the band crossed the border, framing them as IRA couriers. However, the device exploded prematurely, killing the two bombers instantly.

In the ensuing chaos, the remaining gunmen opened fire on the dazed musicians. Three band members were killed:

Fran O'Toole (28): Lead singer and songwriter.

Tony Geraghty (24): Guitarist.

Brian McCoy (32): Trumpeter.

Two members, Des Lee and Stephen Travers, survived the attack despite severe injuries. The massacre caused outrage across Ireland and devastated the showband scene, marking a loss of innocence for a generation of music fans.

Relocation and the Parnell Square Redevelopment

The memorial is set to be relocated due to the major Parnell Square Cultural Quarter project. This is a large-scale urban regeneration initiative championed by Dublin City Council to transform the area into a new cultural hub.

Why it needs to be moved:

New City Library: The centrepiece of the redevelopment is a new, state-of-the-art City Library which will be constructed behind and amongst the Georgian houses (Nos. 23–28) on Parnell Square North.

Public Realm Upgrade: The plans involve significantly reconfiguring the streetscape to create a pedestrian-friendly plaza connecting the new library and the existing Hugh Lane Gallery. This requires widening footpaths, altering traffic lanes, and changing the physical layout where the memorial currently stands.

Integration: The planning permission and design documents formally include the "Relocation of Memorial to Miami Showband" to accommodate these new entrances and the changed public space.

While the redevelopment necessitates the move, it also presents an opportunity to site the memorial in a more prominent location, potentially addressing the long-standing concerns from survivors that the current monument is too easily overlooked.