hen Irish folk legends The Dubliners lost founder member Barney ‘Banjo’ McKenna last year, it was time to step off the tour bus and take stock.

Barney’s sudden death came after the group celebrated 50 years in the music business, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and embarked on a sell-out UK tour.

When John Sheahan, now the only surviving founding member, decided to retire, it was left to the other members to decide what to do.

“Barney’s wake went on all night, it was a grand send-off,” says Sean Cannon, who has played with The Dubliners for 30 years. “John asked what we were going to do and we decided, out of respect, to continue the legacy. Folk is about keeping music alive, it tells our history.”

So it was that the Dublin Legends were born. The group is comprised of Sean Cannon, Eamonn Campbell and Patsy Watchorn, all longstanding members of The Dubliners, and Banjo virtuoso Gerry O’Connor, a member of Four Men and A Dog who has performed with Shane MacGowan and guitar legend Joe Bonamassa.

The lads pay tribute to the songs of The Dubliners – fans can expect such classics as Whiskey in The Jar, Dirty Old Town, The Irish Rover and Molly Malone.

“We couldn’t do a concert without those songs, everyone expects them,” says Sean. “I remember joining The Dubliners for a gig at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, we’d rehearsed new material for months but it didn’t go down well. We had a talk in the interval, like a football manager giving his team a half-time dressing down, and did the old favourites in the second half. A wise move!

“We love the old songs, but we do throw in a couple of new ones too.”

The show includes anecdotes about the original group. “I miss Barney and his sayings, but it feels like he and the others are with us on stage,” says Galway-born Sean, who grew up in a musical house. “My father and his friends played the fiddle but in my teens I thought rock ‘n’ roll was the thing. It was the Fifties and I was into Little Richard, Elvis and Chuck Berry – who I’ve seen at St George’s Hall in Bradford,” says Sean. “Then, in 1965, I was introduced to the folk scene in England. I went to a folk club and got the bug, and pretty soon I saw the Dubliners. I went to a club, got the courage to stand up and sing and it was well received, so it went from there.”

Armed with a rucksack and a guitar, Sean has lived in various countries, including Spain, Switzerland and Germany, and has discovered thriving international folk scenes. “I sing in German, Spanish, French and Dutch. I was in Germany for a year, there’s a big folk tradition there,” he says. He carved a career on the UK folk circuit and, after stints as a guest performer with The Dubliners, joined the line-up in 1982.

To festival-goers, Sean became as renowned for his food as for his music. An accomplished cook, he once did the entire catering for a tour, with a daily change of menu.

“My wife and I converted a caravan into a kitchen, we served healthy alternatives to fast food. I just cook a bit at home now,” he says. “We still love a curry though. When we lived in Yorkshire we once walked to Bradford for a ‘curry crawl’. There’s a good one I recall on Lumb Lane, I’ll be heading up that way when I’m in Bradford.”

  • The Dublin Legends are at St George’s Hall on Wednesday, June 5. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.