Simon O’Dwyer

Simon O'Dwyer had a great under-rated career in music in Dunmore. He played with "The Good Old Boys", but before

that had a fantastic band, called Force 10, based in Waterford, which was really ahead of its time.

I saw Force 10 a couple of times, and they were very impressive. Simon was the front man for the band, but he had

some great Waterford musicians playing with him. He wrote and sang all the songs, while playing a black Fender

Mustang guitar and wearing an original 1940's dress suit.

I shall wait for Simon to write something about that band, but here are some comments from people who were lucky

enough to see Force 10 in action.

These are true comments, I haven't made them up, and I do remember that gig in the Anchor Bar.

From Louis

"Simon really should have been a bigger star than he is. He is a born entertainer. He looks every inch the rock star in

this photo. Who'll ever forget such classics as “Kilkenny I Will Have You” and “Horizontal Dancing” . This photo should

be hung in the rock'n'roll hall of fame. They should get together for one last gig, Waterford needs another Lark In The

Park"

"Force 10 drove men mad. I remember sitting in the Anchor one day when they were playing out the back. I went out

there and looked in the door. Simon was blasting out "She's just a Prostitute" and all hands were leaping around the

place, mostly on one leg. Mark O'Neill almost fell on me as he was heading for the toilet, the Manahans were all

creeping around the dance floor on their hands and knees. Every youngfella in the village was there.

All of them were in a kind of drink/music trance, I looked in their eyes and their minds seemed to be in some far away

place. Simon's music seemed to give the courage they normally didn't have, I'm sure if he shouted from the stage that

they were all to go down to the strand and drown themselves, they all would have done it.

The back room looked like the picture from Dante's Inferno, a picture of Hell. Paddy Green had a look out there himself

and immediately launched into the Brandy"

"Wasn't there a guy that used to play with them that always wore a funnel on his head? He was a strange guy, Damn

Strange, I remember seeing him one day in town in the middle of the week still with the funnel on his head. That guy

really impressed me. Do you remember the day of the radio broadcast from the Anchor?. That was one of the best

sessions the Anchor had. Men got great satisfaction singing into the microphone knowing that their wives were at

home listening to them. If there was one drinking session I'd like to re-visit it would be that one, that and the one on the

tug of war day, actually I'd like to revisit them all. Great memories of a damn strange time"

"The day of the radio broadcast from the Anchor? That was the day Paddy Green near threw me out. I was hanging in

the wings drinking with Bunny Carroll when Simon press ganged me to go on air cause he needed a quick break to

take a piss or something.

My opening comment on the radio was, 'Hello from the Anchor where all Men are happy and Paddy Green is behind

the bar as I speak pulling pints for all and sundry"

That was all very fine but it was 3pm on St Patrick's Day and of course Pat's day was Sunday opening times in those

days, 2pm closing. Green reckoned that the Guards were listening up in the station and that he'd be arrested for

serving drink, he immediately put an end to my budding Radio Career and then tried to barre me"

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