Cork singer Gina, who fronted The Champions along with Waterford native Dale Haze (Kilmacthomas,) was one of Ireland’s foremost singers during the 1970s and ’80s. The Champions were absolutely massive on the pop and middle-of-the-road market during that era, easily dominating the scene in vast areas of the country.

The Champions were massive in the Munster and Connacht regions but their appeal was countywide. Huge crowds attended their dances at halls and carnivals and no one was in any doubt as to the star quality of the band.

The other members of the band along with Gina and Dale Haze were Pat and Mossie Walsh from Ballycotton and their neighbours from east Cork, Tony Hornibrook (Brooks) and Eddie Fitzgerald.

During their golden era, they amassed a variety of accolades and 1978 was a massive year for The Champions in the Irish music industry. That year saw the release of The Greatest Lover, which became a huge hit for the Cork band and saw Gina being voted Ireland’s Number 1 pop singer, and the band being honoured with Ireland’s top band award.

The hits followed, with Give Me Back My Love, Dreams are Good Friends, Minnie Minnie, Do You Want To Do It, More To You Than Meets The Eye, Drunken Sailor and It’s A Real Good Feeling and many more. The Champions could do no wrong in those years as they packed halls all around Ireland.

Back together

Recent years have seen The Champions come together for a series of concert and dances, recreating the old magic that made them one of the premier bands in the country in former times.

Sellout shows in Cork Opera House as well as major crowds at dances in Killarney and other concert and dance shows in various parts of the country is clear proof that the people have not forgotten The Champions and the role they played in their young lives.

“Music has always been such a part of my life,” says Gina. “I am enjoying it immensely again. I have been part of Reeling in the Showband Years concert tour for the last three seasons and it is great to be sharing the stage with some of the people I have known in the business over the years.

“I will be heading to Spain for the Stars in the Sun music holiday in May. When we all started out in the band business back in Cork in the 1970s, we never envisaged the day when so many Irish singers and musicians would be making trips to Spain and Portugal like they have done for the last 15 or 20 years.”

Family

Gina and her husband Pat Walsh (a founding member of The Champions) have a family of two, son Cian and daughter Grace.

“Cian has been based in Berlin for the last 18 months. He is teaching music in a college in the city and also performing and writing music with a band. Along with a friend, Fionnuala from Dublin, they were among a group of artists who entertained the gathering at the St Patrick’s weekend celebrations in the Irish Embassy in Berlin last week.

“Grace is a member of the oncology team at the Christie Hospital in Manchester. She also plays gaelic football with the Oisin’s Club over there. She finds it a great social outlet and has made many friends. A lot of the girls on the panel are from the northern counties. She played some football here with the local Russell Rovers Club in Ballycotton before moving the Manchester,” says Gina.

New album

The release of Gina’s new album, Dragonflies, is the realisation of a long-held ambition by the Cork lady to get back into the recording scene. To say she is chuffed by the early response is an understatement.

The album is a collection of much-loved, timeless songs which serve as a perfect vehicle for Gina’s beautiful voice. It is a lovely mix of gentle and evocative songs ranging from the title track to the soft and soothing Arms of an Angel.

Jimmy McCarthy’s song, The Contender, is also included here, as is the Dolly Parton composition, The Moon, The Stars and Me. Home, a song composed by her son Cian, is included on the album too and is the first single released from Dragonflies.

An old country favourite, Everybody Is Somebody’s Fool, is also featured on the album, guaranteeing an amount of airtime exposure for the album on traditional country shows. Other songs included are One Thousand Years, Lonely Street, Seeds, When Only A Fool and Red Red Rose.

This weekend sees Gina and The Champions head to the Gleneagle Hotel in Killarney where they are playing a dance date from 9.30pm to 11.30pm on Saturday 25 March.

“I really enjoy doing the dance shows with the band. Most of our best-known songs from back the years are included in the show as well as Abba songs and a bit of country and rock ’n’ roll. In Killarney you meet people from all over the country and we love to chat and reminisce with them after the dance. These are times to cherish and I love the scene as much as ever.”

Gina and The Champions play the Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney, on 25 March.