Nobody ever said it would be easy. Cooped up in a minibus with six or seven 'lads', changing in a toilet or a mineral-bar, dealing with amorous punters and then facing the long journey home. It's not a surprise that well over 95% of showband member were male. On these pages, IrishShowbands.Net turns the spotlight on the girls who threw in their lot with a showband and became stars in their own right.

Patricia Pender from Edenderry fronted The Crackaways.

 

Tina Reynolds began her career with The Mexicans.

Terry Mahon sang with Jim Farley's Band for many years.
 
A rare being in '60s Ireland - a female bass-player! This is Patsy Fayne, later of Paddywagon?

Dinky O'Day, singer with Belfast's Banshees .
 

Tricia Dee fronted Derry's Barristers 

The Nevada Showband was first launched as a backing band for Maisie McDaniel
 

Cork girl Eileen Kelly had her big break when she replaced the injured Maisie McDaniel in The Nevada

Eleanor Toner sang with The Hilton Showband . She later married soccer star Pat Jennings.
 

. . . as did Patricia Grattan who was given the stage-name - Patricia O'Kelly.

Betty-Anne McCabe fronted The International Showband in Manchester. She later joined The Teenbeats.
 

Carol Carson shared the spotlight with Bo Birch
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