“It’s no party without people…” The Al Keegan archive
There was a time, for a few years from the mid-2000s, that if you went clubbing in Dublin, chances are you would end up at an event run by DJ, promoter, label boss and all-round legend Al Keegan, who passed away in 2020 the age of just 35.
With the capital’s clubbing scene of the time awash with mega-venues and international names, Al took things back underground, first at 12Ten, a raucous house night in a city centre pub (The Legal Eagle – by day frequented by barristers and solicitors!), then at nights like Acii Disco, Rubberband and Mixed Salad at McGruders – the latter of which was the stuff of legend.
“Everybody would stay in on Saturday nights to keep themselves ready to go to McGruders on the Sunday,” Al put it a few years back. “There was nothing in Dublin like that, it was like something from Ibiza. It was outdoors, people were cool, the music was right, everybody was just buzzing off it.”
Al’s influence on the scene continues to be felt – Irish DJ Saoirse recently dedicated her debut BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix to “my late and great pal Al Keegan, the first person to give me a gig in house music”.
Iconic Underground Magazine also did a fantastic tribute to Al, speaking to family members and collaborators about the influence he had on Dublin’s clubbing scene during his too-short life. You can read that here.
With thanks to his widow, Martina, 909originals presents a collection of posters and flyers from events that Al was involved with other the years, as well as a collection of photos from classic nights.
Epic days, and even more epic nights… Al Keegan certainly knew how to throw a party. Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís. RIP.
Scroll right to view the archive.
ACII DISCO – The Hub/Traffic/The Cavern
12TEN – The Legal Eagle/Crawdaddy
MIXED SALAD – McGruders
RUBBERBAND – Wax/Andrew’s Lane Theatre/Kennedy’s
OTHER EVENTS
PHOTOS – A selection of Acii Disco photos can be found here, for more photos visit the Acii Disco Flickr page.
About Post Author
