The Mahones

by Mark AllanCanada's premier Celtic rock party band was fittingly born on St. Patrick's Day in 1990 in Kingston, Ontario. Founding members were singer-guitarist Finny McConnell; Andrew Brown on tin whistle, keyboards and accordion; Ger O'Sullivan on mandolin, banjo, guitar and bodhran; bassist Joe Chithalen and drummer Christos Smirnois. Four years later the group celebrated St. Patrick's Day again with their debut album Draggin' The Days. They then played to enthusiastic crowds across Canada and south of the border. Only McConnell and Brown remained when the followup album Rise Again was released in 1996. The album received strong radio and video play for its first two singles, "100 Bucks" and "Rise Again." The band again toured heavily to support the album.
They got some help from some of Kingston's most famous band for the Hellfire Club Sessions, released in 1999. Johnny Fay of the Tragically Hip co-produced and drummed while bandmate Gord Sinclair played piano. Colin Cripps of Crash Vegas and Junkhouse sang on "This Old Town." The album takes its name from Irish folklore surrounding Medmenham monks who met occasionally in the mid 1700s. The so-called Hellfire Club was rumored to be involved in debauchery, orgies and gambling. The title appealed to the group for some reason. The band penned the title song for the film Celtic Pride, which starred fellow Kingstonian Dan Aykroyd. Another film credit was the use of the song "100 Bucks" in Bruce McCullough's Kids In The Hall movie "Dog Park."