Charlie Chapman

The Chapman family lived at 19 Dromore Road, Drimnagh. Charlie attended Árdscoil Éanna and was a keen musician. He later became a member of The Miami Showband.

On July 31, 1975, five members of the band were travelling on a minibus back to Dublin from a show in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. They were assassinated by loyalist paramilitaries. The group continued until 1982, led by Charlie Chapman. They then broke up, and their management formed a new band, The New Miami Showband.

Charlie Chapman moved from Drimnagh to Portmarnock after he married. He later emigrated with his family to Spain where he set up “Charlie’s Bar” in Peurto Del Carmen on the island of Lanzarote. Mr. Chapman passed away during a trip with his son to watch Manchester United face Everton at Old Trafford. Upon reaching the stadium on match day, he began experiencing difficulty breathing. Emergency services were summoned, but he suffered a heart attack and died en route to the hospital. Due to the sudden nature of his passing, a post-mortem examination was required. Between the initial two-week waiting period for the body’s release, the post-mortem proceedings, and the arrangements for repatriation, six weeks elapsed before he was brought home to Dublin with the assistance of The Kevin Bell Repatriation Foundation.