Today is one of the most important musical anniversaries in twentieth-century history, and it’s not the birthday of any famous singer. Rather, it is the day - 25th July - on which Bob Dylan controversially first went ‘electric’. At the Newport Folk Festival, some were horrified by the folk singers' turn in 1965. A few months later he visited Ireland - on a tour that saw Dylan booed and jeered by some. It would be almost two decades before he returned.

Recently, the President paid tribute to Bob Dylan on his 80th birthday:

That Bob Dylan is held in high regard in Ireland is clear - indeed, his recent eightieth birthday was marked by none other than President Higgins. It was a great assessment by Ireland’s favorite sociologist, who told Dylan:

"In 2016, I said of you: 'Bob Dylan’s linking of the American folk tradition to moral, economic and political challenges has been a significant achievement and the appeal of his music has been inter-generational. His lyrics, with their rhythms, have linked followers of country, jazz and rock to counter-cultural and politically engaged movements. In doing this, he has narrowed the space between the poetic, the musical and the political.’ My opinion hasn’t changed."

But when Dylan first came to Ireland in the 1960s, the view of Dylan internationally was very different from that captured by Michael D. Some felt that the political Dylan had been buried - at a time of such protest in the world - and their folk hero had gone with it. It is difficult for us at the remove of a half century to understand the level of anger - Dylan denounced as ‘JUDAS’ at one concert in Manchester.

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