Dolores Keane
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Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) is an Irish
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the group
De Dannan De Dannan (originally ''Dé Danann'') is an Irish folk music group. It was formed 1975 by Frankie Gavin ( fiddle), Alec Finn (guitar, bouzouki), Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh (bodhrán) and Charlie Piggott ( banjo) as a result of sessions in Hughe ...
and has since embarked on a solo career.


Background

Keane was born in a small village called Sylane (near
Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...
) in rural
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in the west of Ireland. From the age of four she was raised by her aunts
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and Sarah Keane, also well-known sean-nós singers. Keane started her singing at a very young age, due to the influence of her musical aunts. She made her first recording for
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in 1958, at the age of five. This early start inevitably meant that Keane would have a career in music. Her brother,
Seán Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...
, also went on to enjoy a successful music career.


Musical career


De Dannan

In 1975, she co-founded the traditional Irish band
De Dannan De Dannan (originally ''Dé Danann'') is an Irish folk music group. It was formed 1975 by Frankie Gavin ( fiddle), Alec Finn (guitar, bouzouki), Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh (bodhrán) and Charlie Piggott ( banjo) as a result of sessions in Hughe ...
, and they released their debut album ''Dé Danann'' in that same year. The group gained international recognition and enjoyed major success in the late 1970s in the US. Keane went touring with the band and their single "The Rambling Irishman" was a big hit in Ireland. In early 1976, after a short two-year spell, Keane left De Dannan and was replaced by Andy Irvine, who recorded live with the band on 30 April 1976, during the Third Irish Folk Festival in Germany. Soon thereafter, she married multi-instrumentalist John Faulkner, with whom she would subsequently record three albums of folk music.


Solo career

Keane lived and worked in London for several years with Faulkner, before they moved to Ireland in the early 1980s. They worked on a series of film scores and programmes for the
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...
and formed two successful bands, The Reel Union and Kinvara. During this period Keane recorded her first solo album, ''There Was a Maid'' in 1978. This was followed by two other releases, ''Broken Hearted I'll Wander'' (1979) and ''Farewell to Eirinn'' (1980), which gave credit to Faulkner. In the mid-1980s, she rejoined
De Dannan De Dannan (originally ''Dé Danann'') is an Irish folk music group. It was formed 1975 by Frankie Gavin ( fiddle), Alec Finn (guitar, bouzouki), Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh (bodhrán) and Charlie Piggott ( banjo) as a result of sessions in Hughe ...
and recorded the albums ''Anthem'' and ''Ballroom'' with them. Keane turned her attention, once again, to her solo career in 1988. It saw the release of the eponymous ''Dolores Keane'' album. Her follow-up album ''A Lion in a Cage'', which was released in 1989, featured a song written by Faulkner called "Lion in a Cage", protesting the imprisonment of
Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
. It became Keane's first Irish number-one single, and she performed the hit at the celebration of his release. This exposure expanded Keane's reputation and popularity worldwide. A new facet was added to Dolores' career when she played the female lead in the Dublin production of
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's '' The Hostage'', a new translation by
Niall Tóibín Niall Tóibín (; 21 November 1929 – 13 November 2019) was an Irish comedian and actor. Born in Cork into an Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field. He appeared in ''Ryan's Daughter'', ''Brides ...
and Michael Scott, the opening night of which was attended by
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, the President of Ireland at the time. In 1992, Keane was among the many female Irish singers to lend their music to the record-smashing anthology '' A Woman's Heart''. The album, which also featured
Eleanor McEvoy Eleanor McEvoy (born 22 January 1967) is an Irish singer-songwriter. She composed the song "Only a Woman's Heart", title track of '' A Woman's Heart'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history. Early life and beginnings McEvoy's life as ...
,
Mary Black Mary Black (born 23 May 1955) is an Irish folk singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both traditional folk and modern material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland. Background Mary Black was born into a m ...
,
Frances Black Frances Black (born 25 June 1960) is an Irish singer and politician. She came to prominence in the late 1980s when she began to play with her family's band, the Black Family, performing a mix of traditional and contemporary Irish music. Bla ...
,
Sharon Shannon Sharon Shannon (born 8 June 1968) is an Irish musician, best known for her work with the button accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 debut album, ''Sharon Shannon,'' was the best-selling ...
and
Maura O'Connell Maura O'Connell (born 16 September 1958) is an Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music. Background O'Connell was born in Ennis, the main t ...
, went on to become the biggest-selling album in
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
history. ''A Woman's Heart Vol. 2'' was released in late 1994 and emulated its predecessor in album charts the world over. Also in 1994, a solo album, entitled ''Solid Ground'', was released on the Shanachie label (available on Dara Records) and received critical acclaim in Europe and America. In August 1995, Keane was awarded the prestigious 'Fiddler's Green Hall of Fame' award in
Rostrevor Rostrevor () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Warrenpoint. The Kilbroney River flows through the village and Rostrevor Forest is nearby. ...
,
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, for her "significant contribution to the cause of Irish music and culture". In that same year, she took to the stage in the
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 ...
production of JM Synge's ''
Playboy of the Western World ''The Playboy of the Western World'' is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo (o ...
''. Dolores contributed to the
RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
/
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...
television production ''Bringing It All Back Home'' (1991), a series of programmes illustrating the movement of Irish music to America. Keane was shown performing both in
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, Tennessee with musicians such as
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...
and Richard Thompson, and at home in
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
with her aunts Rita and Sarah. In August 1997, Keane went to number one again in the Irish albums chart with a compilation album of her most loved songs. Another studio album was released by Keane in 1998, called ''Night Owl''. It saw Keane returning to her traditional Irish roots and it did well in Europe and America. Despite a healthy solo career, Keane went on tour with De Dannan again in the late 1990s, where she played to packed audiences in venues such as
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
and New York City. Keane has not released a solo album since 1998, stating that she wanted to take a hard-earned break after twenty-five years of relentless touring.


Musical legacy

Keane is known the world over for her deep, melodic voice. Her recordings of songs such as
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's "
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", Frank A. Fahey's "
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",
Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...
's "The Island", and Donagh Long's "Never Be the Sun" are regarded as amongst the greatest interpretations of these songs. American singer
Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award fo ...
said of Keane: "Dolores Keane, the queen of the soul of Ireland, has a sacred voice.".


Personal life

Keane married musician John Faulkner, with whom she had worked on many occasions, in 1977. After a difficult pregnancy, Keane gave birth to their first child, Joseph. He was born with
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, which causes
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and failing
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. Dolores and John's marriage ended in 1988. Her current partner is Barry "Bazza" Farmer, with whom she had her second child, Tara, born in 1994. Keane put an end to recording and touring in the late 1990s, due to depression and alcoholism. She has received extensive treatment for these conditions. As of 2007, Keane lives outside
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
with her two children and her husband Barry. As of June 2014, Keane was given the all clear after developing cancer.


Discography

*''There Was a Maid'' (1978) *''Dolores Keane'' (1988) *''Lion in a Cage'' (1989) *''Solid Ground'' (1993) *''Night Owl'' (1998) Alula Records


Dé Danann / De Dannan

*''De Danann'' (1975) *''Anthem'' (1985) *''Ballroom'' (1988)


Dolores Keane and John Faulkner

*''Broken Hearted I'll Wander'' (1979) *''Farewell to Éirinn'' (1980) *''Sail Óg Rua'' (1983)


Rita Eriksen and Dolores Keane

*''Tideland'' (1996) Alula Records


Compilations

*''Best of Dolores Keane'' (1997) *''Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Very Best of Dolores Keane'' (2003)


John Prine and others

*''
In Spite of Ourselves ''In Spite of Ourselves'' is the 13th studio album of John Prine, featuring duets with various well-known women folk and alt-country vocalists, released in 1999. The album was Prine's first release since successfully battling throat cancer. The ...
'' (1999)
Oh Boy Records Oh Boy Records is an independent American record label founded in 1981 by singer John Prine, his manager Al Bunetta, and their friend Dan Einstein. The label has released more than 40 audio and video recordings by singer-songwriters Prine, Kris ...
Dolores duets with John on " It's a Cheating Situation" and "In a Town This Size".


Anthologies

*''A Woman's Heart'' (1992) *''A Woman's Heart 2'' (1994) *''Bringing It All Back Home – Influence of Irish Music'' (2 CDs) (2000)


Video (VHS)

*''Bringing It All Back Home – Influence of Irish Music'' (1992) (various artists)


References


External links

* *
allmusic.com biography AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keane, Dolores 1953 births Living people Irish women singers Irish folk singers Irish-language singers Musicians from County Galway People from County Galway De Dannan members Shanachie Records artists Claddagh Records artists