Tuesday, January 31, 1984

Luke Kelly dies at age of 44

LUKE Kelly of the Dubliners died last night in the Richmond Hospital in Dublin. He was 44, and since 1980 had undergone two major operations following a brain tumour. He was admitted to the Richmond for emergency treatment on Saturday night and died shortly after 11 o'c. last night.
Luke Kelly was one of the original members of the Dubliners and among his best-known and most popular songs were "Raglan Road with words by the poet Patrick Kavanagh, and "The Town I Loved So Well" by Phil Coulter.
He was born in the North Wall area of Dublin and left school at 13 to work as a messenger and later in Jacobs biscuit factory. In his late teens he went to England to look for work and it was there that he began his musical and singing career, becoming an accomplished banjo player. He spent two years in Paris, earning his living as a busker, and returned to Dublin in 1962, where he met Ronnie Drew and the other original members of the Dubliners. The group was formed later that year, following an appearance at the Gate Theatre in a show organised by the actor John Molloy.
The vigorous and earthy style of
the new group drew an immediate following in Dublin and throughout Ireland and they later made successful tours to the UK, the US and on the European mainland.
In 1980 Luke Kelly underwent his first brain tumour operation in Cork after he collapsed during a performance in the Opera House, and less than a year later he was taken ill again while appearing at the Embankment in Dublin. He was admitted to the Richmond Hospital but discharged a few days later. A few weeks later he became ill during a tour of Switzerland and did not return to the group for several months. Last March he underwent his second major operation in the Richmond but was playing with the Dubliners during the summer.
Mr. Mick McCarthy, the owner-manager of the Embankment, where the Dubliners played regularly for 20 years, described Luke Kelly last night as "the greatest folk singer Ireland has ever produced. He had a repertoire of Irish and Scottish songs unequalled by any other singer I know," he said.
Luke Kelly is survived by his wife, Deirdre O'Connell, of the Focus Theatre.