Hi Peter

I've been trying to track this one down for a while for you. It's the first TV appearance by Thin Lizzy which I remember quite well as they played in my School, CUS on Leeson Street, Dublin, the following night (Saturday 31st Oct 1970). Brian Downey's cousin was in my class and had been talking about them quite a bit. Some of the seniors had a band and organised the gig as a school social. When we saw that the band playing at our school were to appear on TV the night before we were really impressed and a few of us thought of trying to crash the gig (we were all about 5-6 years too young to get in) and after this TV show we all rang each other and decided we would try and sneak in at the back of the school hall - a side entrance to which was beside our classrooms. About four of us tried it and lasted for about two numbers until we got thrown out, so we went down the back lane to listen to it there. We were all committed Lizzy supporters after that.
The Lizzy's were really good on the TV show, they did one number, and if you look at the bill - it was quite an impressive line-up for the time. Like Now was a type of Irish Top of the Pops with Showbands, local rock bands and visiting British groups who were touring the country.
 

It was a long time ago but from what I remember St Pauls was a late
night thing running from 10 - 2. The gig I was at started about
7.00pm. It was organized by a couple of guys in the school who were in
a band and they went on last. Its wasn't that unusual for bands to
play twice in the night in Dublin as venues were close by and easily
got to and the backline was pretty basic. About a 15-20 minute set-up.


Thanks to Hugo McGuinness

In 1970 Thin Lizzy played National Stadium Dublin opening for Fleetwood Mac on Thursday 29th.October, RTE TV show 'Like Now' on Friday 30th, October, St. Paul's Raheny on Saturday 31st. October and because of what Hugo said I see in one of these Thin Lizzy 'copy' diaries that CUS is written in under Friday 30th October. I went to CUS too but I've no memory of Thin Lizzy playing in CUS except for Hugo saying that they did and CUS written on top of a scibble in the diary. There ya go. Terry

For Peter & Hugo. That's weird Hugo because I went to CUS school too. I still can't find my 'proper', 'main', original Thin Lizzy Diary. But I've got two 'copy' diaries. Both of these Thin Lizzy diaries say Thin Lizzy appeared on RTE's Lik...e Now on Friday 30th October and played in St Paul's Raheny on Saturday 31st October1970 but one of them also has CUS written on top of a scribble on Friday the 30th. So if Lizzy played CUS it must have been on the 30th because St Paul's is in both diaries for the 31st. Anyway what's really weird is that I've no memory of ever going back to CUS any time after I left. Maybe I didn't go and that's why I can't remember it. If it wasn't written in the diary I say it never happened. I notice that we opened for Fleetwood Mac in the National Stadium the night before on Thursday 29th October. I can also remember playing Alexander College, a girls school around this time but can't find it in either of these diaries

Thanks to Terry OŽNeill

Incidentally regarding an appearance they made on RTE's Like Now show on Friday 30 October 1970. The song they performed on the Like Now programme was 'Look what the wind just blew In' - the single off their first album. Later that night they played the CUS hall in Leeson Street. They were still doing a lot of covers then and I distinctly remember them performing Hendrix's 'If Six was Nine' and The Beatles 'Get Back'.

Thanks to Steve Rawson