Danny O’Flaherty is an Irish balladeer and
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
folk musician.
Life
O'Flaherty lived in the
Aran Islands and the village of Ardmore, Co Galway, in the west of
Ireland and immigrated to London in 1967, and shortly thereafter to the United States where he eventually became a professional songwriter and performer.
Career
After moving to the USA in 1969, O'Flaherty performed with a professional folk group known as "The Irish Minstrels," eventually performing around the country. He was influenced by the performances of
Steve Goodman
Steven Benjamin Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song "City of New Orleans", which was recorded by Arlo Guthrie and many others including John Denver, ...
,
Tommy Makem,
Liam Clancy, and
The New Christy Minstrels. O'Flaherty joined with his brother Patrick O'Flaherty to form The Celtic Folk. They performed mostly in
Washington, D.C. On October 7, 1979 Danny performed a concert at
Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
for the visit of
Pope John Paul II.
In 1989 O'Flaherty and his brother Patrick opened O'Flaherty's Irish Channel Pub in
New Orleans. The pub was located at 508 Toulouse Street in the
French Quarter. In 2005
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
hit the area and the pub closed. Danny evacuated to Texas, where he stayed after the storm.
O'Flaherty toured mainly as a solo act through first half of 2015, until October 15th when he was involved in an automobile accident in
New Orleans. As a result of the injuries sustained, he was unable to perform regularly for 5 years. In August 2018 Danny released his latest album, "It's a Long Way From St. John's." The album chronicles the
Royal Newfoundland Regiment.
In November 2019, Danny performed his first full live show in New Orleans at Esplanade Studios. O'Flaherty returned to touring in March 2020 but the mandated shutdowns resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic ended that tour. In early 2022 Danny O'Flaherty returned to live performances in the southern USA including multiple live shows from Esplanade Studios in New Orleans.
Recordings
Danny O'Flaherty has recorded numerous albums and has had songs featured in major films. He recorded the traditional song, "The Parting Glass," featured in
Seeking Justice
''Seeking Justice'' (also known as ''Justice'', and formerly titled ''The Hungry Rabbit Jumps'') is a 2011 action thriller film starring Nicolas Cage, January Jones and Guy Pearce. The film was directed by Roger Donaldson and produced by Tobey Magu ...
, a film starring
Nicolas Cage.
Discography
Solo Recordings / Albums:
* Every Child’s a Star
* Listen to the Wind
* The History of Ireland in Word and Song
* Heroes
* Farewell to John John
* Remember
* From The Heart
* An Irish Christmas Carol
* Spirit of Freedom
* He Believes in Me
* Secret Garden
* Long Way From St. John’s
* Changes
* Ceol na dTon
* Here Comes The Echo
* The Leprechaun Song (words and music Danny O’Flaherty) A Leprechaun’s St. Patrick’s Day by Sarah Kirwan Blazek Pelican Publishing/Books-on-Tape, 2000
* Donkey Cart Song Irish Night Before Christmas Pelican Publishing/Books-on-Tape, 2000
* The Monster Picnic (with Khaetidawne Quirke)
* The Blushing Bride (with Noel Nash)
* St. Patrick’s Day Anthem (with Noel Nash)
* Ride the Waves (with The Celtic Folk)
* Rainbow Flight (with The Celtic Folk)
* The Celtic Folk Live Volume I (with The Celtic Folk)
* The Celtic Folk Live Volume II (with The Celtic Folk)
* The Celtic Folk Live Volume III (with The Celtic Folk)
* The Celtic Folk Live Volume IV (with The Celtic Folk)
* Live on Bourbon Street (with The Celtic Folk)
* Looking West (with The Celtic Folk)
Books
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:OFlaherty, Danny
1951 births
Musicians from County Galway
Living people
People from the Aran Islands