Plaque to honour Waterford music icon 50 years on from his tragic death raised at Council meeting 

It is fifty years this week since the tragic and untimely passing of Royal Showband founding member, Tom Dunphy. 

The most popular Irish showband of the 60s, the Royal oringinally formed in 1957 and turned fully professional two years later.

During their peak, the band played almost every night to audiences in excess of 2,000.

They were the first showband in the country to record a single, with Tom singing lead on ‘Come Down the Mountain Katie Daly'. 

Tom Dunphy and Brendan Bowyer left the band in 1971 to form showband supergroup the Big 8, who also found considerable success.

The dissolution of the Royal Showband symbolically ended the showband domination of the era.

Tom died in a car accident on July 29 1975, whilst on his way to meet with fellow band members.

The Waterford News & Star, in its report of the crash, said that Tom 'had been making his way to the Great Southern Hotel, Bundoran, when his Ford Granada car skidded on the wet surface while rounding a bend and collided with an oncoming cement lorry.

The accident occurred about five miles out on the Longford side of Carrick on Shannon.

'The band was scheduled to rendezvous at Bundoran and have a meal there before going on to fulfill an engagement at a marquee dance being run in conjunction with the Mary of Dungloe Festival in Co. Donegal.'

The paper described Tom as having ‘sincere wit, charm and personality which endeared him to dancing enthusiasts everywhere'.

The article continued: 'Dancing fans throughout the country, particularly so in Waterford, were still finding it hard to come to grips with the stark reality that country singer, Tom Dunphy, one of Ireland’s major entertainment idols, was dead.' 

This week, Cllr David Daniels paid tribute to Tom in City Hall, and enquired about the potential of unveiling a plaque or statue in his honour.

"Throughout his career, Tom Dunphy and the Royal Showband performed alongside some of the biggest names in international music, including Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, the Beatles and Cliff Richard," Cllr Daniels said.

"Tom helped define the sound and spirt of a generation."