Ger Costello - The Soul of Limerick Still Sings

 

Ger Costello

The Soul of Limerick Still Sings

Few musicians become so closely associated with the spirit of a city that their name alone evokes memories, friendships and entire eras. In Limerick, Ger Costelloe is one of those rare figures. For more than half a century, the acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter has occupied a cherished place in the musical life of the city. His story stretches from the spontaneous musical gatherings of Denmark Street in the early 1970s to celebrated performances with The O’Malleys in Dolans decades later.

To generations of music lovers across Limerick and Clare, Ger Costelloe represents authenticity — a musician who never chased fashion, never lost faith in the emotional power of music and never forgot the connection between performer and audience. Now living quietly in County Clare, he remains one of the most respected and warmly regarded figures on the Irish live music scene.

Ger Costelloe

 

Denmark Street years

The story of Ger Costelloe cannot be separated from Denmark Street and the legendary Joe Malone’s pub. In the early 1970s, Joe Malone’s was unlike anywhere else in Limerick. It was not a venue for organised folk nights or carefully curated sessions. Music happened there spontaneously. Joe Malone’s became the iconic hippie pub of its era — filled with artists, musicians, poets, students and free spirits who seemed to exist slightly outside conventional Irish life at the time. And somewhere in the middle of it all was Ger Costelloe.

He possessed a love for the songs of Van Morrison but Ger never sounded like an imitator. When he sang songs such as Into the Mystic, Crazy Love or And It Stoned Me, audiences heard genuine emotional connection. He understood the soulfulness and yearning at the centre of Morrison’s music.

Friends from those days remember a musician completely immersed in song — absorbing influences from folk, blues, Irish ballads, Dylan, Neil Young… Ger Costelloe sang as though the songs mattered deeply. That quality would define his entire career.

A family immersed in music

Music ran deeply through the Costelloe family. Ger’s father, Sean Costelloe, earned a place in Irish musical history as the writer of the famous ballad Sean South of Garryowen, one of Ireland’s best-known songs. Its opening lines remain instantly recognisable:

‘Twas on a dreary New Year's Eve when the shades of night fell down

A lorry load of volunteers approached a border town

There were men from Dublin and from Cork, Fermanagh and Tyrone

But the leader was a Limerick lad, Sean South of Garryowen.

 

The song became woven into Irish folk tradition and ensured the Costelloe name would forever hold a place in Irish musical culture.

Ger’s older brother, Jack, also became an important figure in Irish rock history through his involvement with the influential Limerick band Granny’s Intentions, one of Ireland’s pioneering rock groups during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Jack also became associated with one of the great stories in Irish rock folklore. While based in London, he helped introduce the guitarist Henry McCullough (from the north of Ireland) to Joe Cocker. McCullough would soon perform at Woodstock with Joe Cocker before later joining Paul McCartney’s Wings and playing the unforgettable guitar solo on Live and Let Die. The Costello family, therefore, quietly left its mark on several remarkable chapters of Irish and international music history. Yet Ger Costelloe always travelled his own musical road.

A musician’s musician

Over the decades, he became known as a musician’s musician — an artist admired not only by audiences but by fellow performers who recognised the depth of his craft. He moved through several important bands and projects while maintaining a distinctive sound and reflective songwriting style.

One of those projects was Ravengale, a respected Limerick band whose blend of blues, rock and soul built a loyal following. He also performed with The Outfit who became well known around Ireland in the early 1980s for their reggae-influenced sound, original material and energetic live performances. They played the Carnsore Point anti-nuclear festival, appeared on RTÉ’s Non Stop Pop, recorded Fanning Sessions and released singles on the Scoff label.

The O’Malleys and the Limerick spirit

For many people, Ger Costelloe will forever remain associated most strongly with The O’Malleys. To describe The O’Malleys simply as a band almost misses the point entirely. Over the years they became something larger — part concert, part reunion and part celebration of Limerick itself.

Ger Costelloe’s presence at the centre of those evenings gives them much of their warmth. He also established himself as a gifted songwriter in his own right and continues developing as a solo artist long after many musicians of his generation had stepped away from the stage. When he eventually released his long-awaited solo album (Letting in Water, 2013) after decades in music, it felt less like a debut than the continuation of a life already devoted to song.

Returning to Dolans

Today, The O’Malleys continue to attract devoted audiences at their traditional appearances around Christmas and St Patrick’s season in Dolans. Dolans has become one of Ireland’s most respected live music venues over the past three decades, hosting everyone from emerging local acts to internationally celebrated performers. Yet for many Limerick musicians, it remains more than a venue — it is part of the city’s cultural heartbeat.

The importance of Ger Costelloe

Now based in County Clare, Ger continues to perform while remaining characteristically modest about his reputation. He speaks warmly about the musicians, venues and friendships that shaped his journey through Irish music. What distinguishes Ger Costelloe is not simply longevity but consistency of spirit. The Irish music scene has changed enormously across the decades, yet he has remained true to the same values that first made people stop and listen in Joe Malone’s all those years ago — honesty, warmth, musicianship and emotional connection.

For Ger, music was never about image or ambition. It was always about songs, people, shared moments that linger long after the final chord fades. Irish music history often celebrates international success while overlooking the artists who sustained local culture across generations. But without musicians like Ger Costelloe, Ireland’s musical identity would be immeasurably poorer.

From the spontaneous gatherings of Denmark Street to packed nights in Dolans, he has remained recognisably himself. The voice may be older now, the songs perhaps more reflective but the spirit remains unchanged. And somewhere in the shared memory of Limerick music lovers there will always remain the image of a young musician in Joe Malone’s pub singing Van Morrison songs as though they mattered profoundly – because to Ger Costelloe, they did and to generations of listeners, so does he.