Dáithí Sproule (born 23 May 1950) is a guitarist and singer of

traditional Irish music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

. He is the grandson of Frank Carney and uncle of singer Claire Sproule.

Biography

Born and raised in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, at the age of 18 he moved to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in Ireland, where he attended university. Growing up, he listened to

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter ...

, the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

, British folk songs and traditional Irish music. It was in Dublin that he entered the music scene which was prominent in Ireland at the time. As a teenager he had met the Ó Domhnaill family during trips to the

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

area of

Rann na Feirste Ranafast or Rinnafarset, officially only known by its Irish name Rann na Feirste () is a Gaeltacht village and townland in the Rosses region of northwest County Donegal, Ireland. Name Ranafast, or sometimes Rannafast or Rinnafarset, is the angl ...

in Co. Donegal, and while in Dublin they formed a band,

Skara Brae Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Consisting of ten clustered houses, made of flagstones, in earthen dams t ...

who would go on to have a great effect on Irish traditional music. Dáithí is well known as a guitarist and was one of the first guitarists to use the

DADGAD , or Celtic tuning is an alternative guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music, though it has also found use in rock, folk, metal and several other genres. Instead of the standard tuning () the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high, ...

guitar tuning for Irish music after the originator

Davy Graham David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham (originally spelled Davy Graham) (26 November 1940 – 15 December 2008) was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival. He inspired many famous practitioners ...

. In 1992 he joined Irish

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

Altan with whom he sings and plays guitar. Of his use of DADGAD tuning, Sproule says, it "just seemed to instantly gel with Irish music. The nature of the tuning meant that you didn't really produce anything that was terribly, drastically, offensively wrong to people. I was always a singer, but when I started playing with instrumentalists in sessions and pubs, I was able to develop a style by just playing along with them quietly and tactfully." He was deemed "a seminal figure in Irish music" by The Rough Guide to Irish Music. Sproule is also a member of various other bands and has recorded further solo albums; he also teaches DADGAD guitar and traditional songs at the Center for Irish MusicCenter for Irish Music official website: http://www.centerforirishmusic.org/ in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Discography

Solo albums

* ''The Crow in the Sun'' (2007) * ''Lost River, Vol. 1'' (New Folk, 2011) * ''A Heart Made of Glass'' (1995)

with Altan

Other bands

* Bright and Early (with Paddy O'Brien and Nathan Gourley - 2015 - New Folk Records) * From Uig to Duluth (with Laura MacKenzie and Andrea Stern - 2014) * The Pinery (with Laura MacKenzie – 2009 – New Folk Records) * Seanchairde (with Tara Bingham and Dermy Diamond – 2008 – New Folk Records) * Fingal (with Randal Bays and James Keane – 2008 – New Folk Records) * Snug in the Blanket (with Jamie Gans and Paddy O'Brien – 2004) * Overland (with Randal Bays – 2004) * Trian II (with Liz Carroll and Billy McComiskey – 1995) * A Thousand Farewells (with Martin and Christine Dowling – 1995) * Trian (with Liz Carroll and Billy McComiskey – 1992) * Stranger at the Gate (with Paddy O'Brien – 1988) * The Iron Man (with

Tommy Peoples Tommy Peoples (20 September 1948 – 4 August 2018) was an Irish fiddler who played in the Donegal fiddle tradition. Biography Peoples was born near St. Johnston, County Donegal, Ireland. He was a member of traditional Irish music groups, i ...

– 1984) * Carousel (with Seamus and

Manus McGuire Manus McGuire is an Irish fiddle player. Early life He was born in Tullamore, and grew up in County Sligo. He resides in County Clare. In 1970, he won Sligo's prestigious Fiddler of Dooney competition, at age 14. Career He is a founding m ...

– 1984) * Spring in the Air (with James Kelly and Paddy O'Brien – 1981) * Is it Yourself? (with James Kelly and Paddy O'Brien – 1979) *

(

– 1971)

Guest appearances

* Four & Eight String Favorites (Bone Tone Records) 2021 - Eric Mohring & Friends * Merrijig Creek - Fintan Vallely * Spinning Yarns (Two Tap Records) 2015 - Norah Rendell * Heigh Ho, The Green Holly (New Folk Records) 2015 - Laura MacKenzie * Minnesota Lumberjack Songs (Two Tap Records) 2011 - Brian Miller * Side by Side (Dawros Music) 2010 - Liz and Yvonne Kane * 40 Acre Notch (New Folk Records) 2008 – the HiBs * The Essential Chieftains (RCA) 2006 – The Chieftains * Blue Waltz 2004 – Julee Glaub * Evidence (New Folk Records) 2003 – Laura MacKenzie * Over the Water (Heart Productions) 2002 – Ross Sutter * Little Sparrow (Sugarhill) 2001 –

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

* Lost in the Loop (Green Linnet) 2001 –

Liz Carroll Liz Carroll (born September 19, 1956) is an American fiddler and composer. She is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship Award. Carroll and collaborator Irish guitarist John Doyle were nominated for a ...

* Shine (Swallowtail) 2001 – Katie McMahon * Persevere 2000 –

The Proclaimers ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

* Water from the Well (RCA) 2000 –

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

* Tis the Season (Compass) 1997 – Laura MacKenzie * Irish Women Musicians of America (Shanachie) 1995 –

Cherish the Ladies Cherish the Ladies is an American female supergroup (music), super group that plays Celtic music. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985. It was the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female ...

* Heartsongs (Sony) 1994 –

* Mamma, Will you Buy Me a Banana? (Heart Productions) 1991 – Ross Sutter * Blue Mesa (Red House) 1989 –

Peter Ostroushko Peter Ostroushko (August 12, 1953 – February 24, 2021) was an American violinist and mandolinist. He performed regularly on the radio program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and with a variety of bands and orchestras in Minneapolis–Saint Paul an ...

* Liz Carroll (Green Linnet) 1988 – with

* Sean O'Driscoll (Shanachie/Meadowlark) 1987 – Sean O'Driscoll * Capel Street (Capelhouse) 1986 – James Kelly * The Streets of My Old Neighborhood (Rounder) 1983 –

* Sluz Duz Music (Rounder) 1982 –

Compilations

* A Harvest Home: Center for Irish Music Live Recordings, Vol. 5 2013 * Strings Across the North Shore 2009 * Young Irish Musicians Weekend Live! 2008 – with James Kelly and Paddy O'Brien * New Folk Records Sampler 2007 (New Folk Records) 2007 * Masters of the Irish Guitar (Shanachie) 2006 * The Independence Suite (Celtic Crossings) 2005 – with Randal Bays * Simply Folk Sampler 3 (Wisconsin Public Radio) 2005 * Festival International des Arts Traditionnels de Québec (Folklore) 2004 – with Trian * The Ice Palace – Irish Originals from Minnesota (IMDA) 2001 * The Last Bar – Irish Music from Minnesota (IMDA) 2000 * Alternate Tunings Guitar Collection (String Letter) 2000 – with Trian * As They Pass Through (Kieran's) 2000 * Best of Thistle and Shamrock, Vol. 1 (Hearts of Space) 1999 – with Altan * Celtic Colours International Festival – the Second Wave (Stephen McDonald) 1999 – with Altan * A Winter's Tale (Universal) 1998 – with Altan * Gaelic Roots (Kells) 1997 – with James Kelly, Paddy O'Brien and Gerry O'Connor * Celtic Music from Mountain Stage (Blue Plate) 1997 – with Altan * Hunger No More (Éire Arts) 1997

References

External links

Official Daithí Sproule website

Official Altan website

biography at Altan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sproule, Daithi 1950 births Living people Male singers from Northern Ireland Folk singers from Northern Ireland Songwriters from Northern Ireland Musicians from Derry (city) Altan (band) members Green Linnet Records artists Shanachie Records artists