Coburg Street & Leitrim Street- The Cavalier Club & The Cavern Club

There are two noted venues near to this trail point significant in the early career of Rory Gallagher and Taste, the Cavalier Club and the Cavern Club.

To start in context, it is best to begin by mentioning the lively Crypt Club. It was a former old army club in the basement of 58 MacCurtain Street in 1965. The Crypt operated on the upstairs floor of the Army Club on Saturday nights only during the six weeks of Lent when all dance halls were closed.

While Rory busied himself in his career abroad with the Impact group at the time, his brother Donal learnt to DJ records at the Crypt club leading to wider DJ and promotion ventures for Rory's sibling. The Crypt then moved to the 'Catacombs' behind the Munster Hotel that subsequently became the Cavalier Club at 11 Coburg Street.

The venue, passing through different promoters played host to plenty of home-grown talent in Cork in the form of groups such as the Martells, The Sounds and The Axills who were very big on the Cork city scene at the time.

One Saturday night at the Cavalier Club, the Axills were due to perform and invited Rory to jam with them on stage.

Rory and the Impact group split up in 1965. Returning to Cork without a group but keen to perform whenever possible, the guest guitarist stood in at the Cavalier Club. Rory ripped it up so well for the audience that the Axills asked Rory not long after to join their group permanently.

Norman Damery and Eric Kitteringham, the drummer and bassist with the Axills, came to him and said “We want you to join the band?”

But Rory who had been doing guest spots also with other local groups like The Chymes around town had made up his mind: “No I’m not. But do you want to join my band?”

The Cavern Club was located at 25 Leitrim Street, next door to a blood bank and lay as part of a building with a motorbike shop.

A place called the Cabin, a daytime hangout serving teas and food opened on the other side of the Cavern. Along with another notable cafe venue, the Shambles located further in town on the corner of Paul Street & French Church Street helped reinforce the locality that many young students frequented.

Donal Gallagher’s enterprise at the Crypt and other venues as a DJ Promoter impressed Billy Field, the owner of the new Cavern Club, approaching Donal to make him a resident DJ. This introduction by Rory’s brother led to the newly formed Taste using the Cavern as the key venue in helping establish the band. They played at the Cavern over 17 times from 1966 into 1967. This helped spread Taste’s reputation with the local scene growing into more bookings in other venues around Cork city.

Taste soon began to gain notice further afield with a mention in the weekly music magazine called Spotlight, which mainly covered showband news. Only one page was devoted to new ‘group’ music and this was written by a Dublin DJ called Pat Egan. One week he wrote:

 “Are Taste from Cork as good as I hear?”

That alone was enough to spread the word and Taste got booked for a club gig in Dublin not long thereafter.