When Dave Burns’s ‘Memories through Songs’ book was published in Welsh in 2021, it was well received.
Hefin Wyn, a newsreporter since the 1970’s wrote in his review (Gwales, Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru):
‘A cracker of a book. Entertaining and funny every other page. Dave Burns is a storyteller and has amazing stories to share… Pubs and clubs play a prominent role in the telling, and that is to be expected when presenting the history of the Welsh Irish folk group, The Hennessys, who came to prominence in the 1960s.’
Back then, it was unusual to see a connection between the Welsh language folk scene and the songs of the Cardiff docklands. That began to change in the early days of Welsh TV. Pioneer Dr Meredydd Evans recognised the unique voices coming from the Irish community, and the Hennessys in particular. The gap between the two cultures began to be bridged.
‘The trio embraced the Welsh folk songs and the sound of Dave’s mandolin became well known when playing the opening chords of their songs. It also becomes clear that ‘relaxing’ after every performance, wherever they were, was a way of life. One of those occasions was the lock-in at the Blue Anchor in Cardiff in 1968. In the middle of the evening bustle a man called Iori stood up and sang Ar lan y môr after playing the tune on his violin. There was overwhelming silence after the statement. The best of our folk songs were presented to the ears of Dave and his friends. No one knows who Iori was. But thank you, Iori.’
When Dave Burns passed away in December 2023, there were many tributes on radio and television and in the press. Dave was at the time preparing an English version of his autobiography. This has now evolved – with additional material by family, friends and the Cardiff Story Museum – into a more comprehensive history of early Welsh folk music and the heritage of the Irish community in Cardiff. Some of the stories are quite harrowing as Hefin Wyn describes:
‘…the book is not without its intensity either, especially when talking about the background of the Irish community in Newtown, which no longer exists, and the hardships they faced in the docks. Even worse is the story of the ancestors arriving in Cardiff by being dropped off one of Marquis Bute’s coal ships off the coast of Bridgend and having to wade ashore. Not all of them made it to shore. They were nothing more than illegal ballast for the owner.’
In this new version, an added song and chapter has been included on Newtown in the parish of St Paul’s with Dave sharing his great memories about the district where he was brought up.
The book will be launched at the Earl Haig Club, Whitchurch to the sound of his songs, interviews with friends and films from the past. In his foreword, Mark Drakeford concludes: ‘Dave may no longer be with us, but in the pages of this book, he is as alive as ever and his artistry, and his unwavering commitment to the fundamental decencies lives on.’
- ISBN: 9781845279905
- Publication: January 2026
- Adapted/Translated by Lyn Ebenezer
- Format: Paperback, 198x128 mm, 250 pages
Review by Geraint Evans
After visiting Dave in health and in sickness, I came away always having learned something new about the man and his sense of place. During our time together, we laughed a lot, listened to music and after leaving, I felt so much better for being in his company.
Those elements are, I think, well illustrated in his book which is a fascinating and personal insight into his upbringing and the formation of the Hennessys, one of Cardiff and Wales’ best loved folk groups and the story behind some of the songs that influenced them along the way.
Dave lived long enough to see the publication of a Welsh language version of his work, but thanks to some diligent, lovingly researched work by his wife Clare and son Daniel, this English edition contains a whole new additional chapter based around interviews he gave to the Cardiff Story Museum.
He tells of his immense pride of having been brought up in Newtown, an area of Cardiff known as ‘Little Ireland’ on account of the large Irish community who had settled there in the mid 1800’s. Most of the men in those six streets that made up Newtown worked on the docks and despite the fact that times were hard, Dave’s love of the place and the sense of a community pulling together in times of adversity shines through the pages.
He learned to play the violin as a junior novice in St Cassian’s a Catholic boarding school in Newbury and on returning home to Cardiff found to his joy that a mandolin – his instrument of choice on so many of his later performances and recordings – was tuned exactly like a violin..
Cardiff Central Boys Club played a huge part in his early life. It was here that he met Frank Hennessy his lifelong pal and fellow group member and Paul Powell a very talented singer, banjo player and weightlifter!
As the three, now known as The Hennessys, were performing a number of Irish songs in pubs and clubs in and around Cardiff, it seemed a natural but nevertheless a very big step to give up their jobs to go and play professionally in Ireland which they did in 1968 They lived in a tent and caravan and in a hectic period they won The Ardmore Festival Cup and £40 prize money and went on to play sometimes seven or eight gigs a week in and around Cork City.
Eventually they returned to Wales, now having learned
to sing some songs in the Welsh language to add to their ever increasing repertoire. For the next few years they appeared regularly on television and played in concerts all over Britain and overseas. The book recalls some of those memorable appearances–the underlying sense of mischief and fun very apparent in the telling.
Fully illustrated it contains a wealth of very evocative black and white and colour pictures of The Hennessys, Ar Log the folk group he helped form in the Seventies ,together with photographs of other performers, sportsmen ,politicians churches and pubs !It also includes some fascinating little press cuttings which he had kept over the years.
Dave Burns was a musician committed to social justice. A natural storyteller, as an author he brings to life the family and friends that formed the Cardiff of his youth, He recalls some of the songs he sang and the stories behind them, in a most engaging, humorous and readable way. His book is a loving legacy.
