“WHOEVER had the most Weetabix that day was in charge.”

Eddie Furey never believed in hierarchy or invoked his birthright to take the lead as the eldest child, which was just as well for his younger siblings when the brothers formed internationally-acclaimed folk band The Fureys in the late 1970s.

“We all kept each other in check, there was no boss in the band,” the 70-year-old said.

“I was the eldest but some of them were much bigger than me anyway.”

From humble beginnings, learning the ropes from their musical parents and later embarking on an “apprenticeship” in pubs and small clubs, the four brothers, Eddie, George, Paul and Finbar parted to follow their own paths.

Eddie left home in 1966 and travelled to Scotland at the time of the great folk revival where he lived with then unknown folk singers Billy Connolly, Gerry Rafferty and Alex Campbell. In 1969, he and Finbar were invited to tour the USA and Canada with the Clancy Brothers. In 1971, the two brothers moved to Europe where they built a huge following.

Were it not for a nudge from fate – albeit a violent one at that – the sibship may never have started The Fureys. While touring Germany, Eddie and Finbar, were involved in a road accident.

George and Paul, who were playing in Denmark with fellow Buskers bandmate Davey Arthur at the time rushed to their side. It is then in 1978, that The Fureys was born.

“We just had a great time doing and we still do. We started playing music very young in pubs together and then we kind of split. But in Germany we thought we could make much more music together, the five of us together.”

Over the years the brothers along with Davey Arthur have brought their music to New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, and performed for the likes of former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, ex-Irish President Mary McAleese while Tony Blair has claimed Green Fields of France as his favourite peace song of all time.

In the midst of all this, Eddie found the time to teach his roadie, Dave Stewart who would go on to find fame in his own right with Eurythmics, his first chords on the guitar.

But one of the most surreal moments of his career with The Fureys will always be performing for the late Pope John Paul – an unlikely admirer among their legions of fans.

“It was a weird experience. One of our bishops took our album to the Vatican and the Pope heard The Lonesome Boatman and he fell in love with the melody. We spoke to him when he came over to Ireland and he gave us his blessing. I had a lump in my throat. He was a great man.”

Inevitably changes have occurred over the past 37 years. His brother Paul died suddenly in June 2002 and Finbar left the band in December 1996. But George and Eddie carried on and have now released a new album, The Times They Are a Changing, featuring beloved covers by artists they have met and admired over the decades with their three bandmates.

“We are going to keep going as long as we can. You have to serve your apprenticeship in the music industry. That’s what we did; we played everywhere and anywhere we could. That’s how you learn and get better. We are better now than we ever were. I’m still having a great time.”

The Fureys will be at the Wyvern Theatre on Sunday, April 26 at 7.30pm. Tickets are £19.50. To book call 01793 524481 or go to swindontheatres.co.uk.

For more details and tour dates go to thefureys.com.

— MARION SAUVEBOIS