Dolores Keane for RTÉ Hall of Fame

Event will honour life-long career

THE late Dolores Keane will be inducted into the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Hall of Fame at the awards event in November.

The world-famous singer from Caherlistrane passed away in March and is hailed as one of the defining voices of Irish folk and traditional music.

Dolores is being honoured for her rich, expressive singing and her lifelong commitment to preserving Ireland’s musical heritage. She was immersed in the sean-nós tradition from a young age and made her first recording for Radio Éireann at the age of five.

Dolores co-founded the influential traditional group De Danann in 1975. The group enjoyed considerable national and international success at a time when Irish folk and trad was going through a new awakening, helping to bring Irish folk music to new audiences at home and abroad. The band scored a hit in Ireland in 1975 with the album The Rambling Irishman and later with the very successful albums, Anthem and Ballroom.

In 1978 Dolores released her debut solo album, There Was a Maid in 1978, however, it was in the early 90s that she enjoyed new heights of popularity with the albums Dolores Keane and A Lion in a Cage. The lead single of that album became her first Irish No 1 hit.

The talented singer is also well known for her role in the hugely successful album in A Woman’s Heart, which became the biggest-selling album in Irish history. Renowned for memorable interpretations of songs such as Caledonia and Galway Bay, she was praised by fellow musicians for the emotional depth and authenticity of her voice.

Dolores released her final song, The Refuge in 2023. In inducting Dolores Keane into the Hall of Fame, the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards will celebrate her legacy as a great ambassador and guardian of Ireland’s sacred folk and traditional music traditions.

The awards, hosted by John Creedon, take place in Vicar Street in Dublin on November 10 and tickets are available via Ticketmaster.