The Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band Needs Your Help!

There’s a sign hanging outside the Shannon Rover’s Clubhouse that says “Help Wanted – Irish DO need apply”.  But first, a short Rover history lesson.

1935 was a tough time in our country.  The Great Depression was in full swing and unemployment was extremely high.  It was a tough time for the Shannon Rovers as well.  The band was only nine years old, and the members were all Irish immigrants struggling to make a new life in America.  So, it came as no surprise that the country’s gloomy condition effected the band members.  Attendance and morale were low, as well as the band’s finances.  Things got so bad that the band’s founder, Tommie Ryan, called a meeting to discuss dissolving the Rovers.  It was a tough decision, and by the grace of God they decided to keep the Rovers intact.  In the minutes from that meeting, the band’s secretary wrote, “The Irish must keep together.”

With that as our mantra, the Shannon Rovers are asking for help from Chicago’s Irish community.  As we celebrate our 100th anniversary this year, we are taking a deep dive into the band’s storied history in Chicago.  We have collected photographs, documents, video clips, rosters, and newspaper clippings but we know there are many more items “out there” waiting to be discovered.

Unfortunately, a storage room used by the Rovers was destroyed in a 1982 fire, taking with it countless memories and historical artifacts.  This is why we need your help.  

To date, we have compiled a list of over 600 members who, through the past 100 years, have been lucky enough to wear the Shannon Rover greens.  This tells us that there are probably hundreds of families in Chicago (and beyond) with a direct connection to the band.  Are you one of them?  Do you have Rover treasures packed away in your attic?  Well, we’d like to know!

In addition to photographs and documents, we are in search of old Shannon Rover uniforms. The original uniform, worn from 1926 until sometime in the mid-1940’s, consisted of white pants with a gold stripe down the side, a green jacket and a white service cap with a gold band.  In the 1940’s and 1950’s the band members wore various colored kilts.  From 1958 until about 1963, the Rovers wore green jackets and kilts made from the Gordon tartan.   Shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the band decided to honor him by adopting the Kennedy tartan with the assistance of the Sexton family, the uniform we proudly wear to this day.

So, if you, or someone you know, has any Shannon Rover memorabilia that will help us with our research and 100th anniversary celebration, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (773) 792-3131.  We will gladly accept donations or we can make copies of photographs and documents and return the originals to you.  And while you are looking around, did the Shannon Rovers play at your wedding or other event?  Please share those photos with us as well!
We just know there’s a Rover pot of gold waiting to be found, and with a little assistance from our Irish friends, we can make it happen.  After all, “The Irish must keep together!”