The Ernie Mann Band, 1940’s

The Ernie Mann band was a popular showband in the Portrush area in the 1940s. The band performed at locations around the coast. This included Barry’s Amusements, which had introduced dancing in a ‘ballroom’ constructed adjacent to the dodgems track c.1947. The Ernie Mann band was the first resident band at Barry’s. The ballroom closed in 1952. Other dance halls in the area remained popular with young people in 1940s and 1950s.

pictured (L-R) Edith Martin, Tommy Tinkler, Ernie Mann, Andy Graham, Unknown.

This photograph was submitted to the project by Norman Parkes. This record was collected as part of Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust’s Uncharted Histories of the Causeway Coast Project. Please click here to learn more about this project.