Background
Ó Catháin was born on 30 September 1922 at Maimin, Lettermore, Connemara seventh in a family of twelve children. In the English-language records of birth he is noted down as Dudley Keane, son of Coleman Keane and Monica Faherty. His love of singing and many of his songs were learned from his mother.
Career
Along with his fellow Connemara-native, Seosamh Ó hÉanaí, he was one of the most prominent sean-nós singers of his age and was praised by Seán Ó Riada. Ó Catháin left Ireland for work and set down in Leeds, West Yorkshire where he lived out the rest of his life. Background
In 1935 his family moved to new government created Gaeltacht of Rath Cairn, Company
Meath.
Sean-nós
By the late 1950s he was established as one of the finest sean-nós singers in the country. In the early 60s Seán Ó Riada had begun to broadcast a series of radio programmes, Reacaireacht an Riadaigh, on RTÉ Radio 1. These programmes were to transform the traditional music
Darach Ó Catháin was the singer in those programmes.
In 1962 a commercial recording was issued. Out of all of this came Ceoltoiri Cualann and eventually The Chieftains.
But in the meantime, Darach disappeared. While he was performing with O Riada he was also working as a labourer on the building sites of London and the north of England.
By 1963 he"d become convinced his family"s future was in Leeds.
In the intervening years Darach released another recording, Traditional Irish Unaccompanied Singing" (1975). lieutenant cemented his reputation as a singer. Indeed, for many it established him as the greatest of the sean-nós singers.
Darach Ó Catháin became an iconic figure within the Irish music tradition.
Move to Leeds
Darach Ó Catháin was a stage name, the name O Riada gave him. When The Kane family sold their family home and moved to Leeds they were beginning an experiment that would not prove a total success.
The Kanes are still in Leeds. When the family made that journey the eldest daughter, Barbara, was 16 and already in Boston.
She was later to rejoin her family.
He was also the subject of a major television documentary "Cérbh É? Darach Ó Catháin" on TG4, first broadcast in November 2009. In this programme, one of a series in which major figures in contemporary traditional music, profile and pay homage to a master of their craft from a bygone age, Iarla Ó Lionáird traced the life and legacy of Ó Catháin. This can be viewed for 35 days after transmission on the channel"s Webcast website www.tg4.tv (then select "Ceol Cartlann" and the programme is called "Cerbh East" (in Irish with English subtitles).
"When you"ve music in you, you"re hearing music always." Darach Ó Catháin.