Opinion: For many, she was a pioneering woman in the music scene, someone who paved the way for others to follow, and taught us how a song should be sung.
When news trickled through on Monday that Dolores Keane had passed away, there was a great sense of loss, especially throughout the Irish music community. Since then, the week has been one of grieving for a woman who left an indelible mark on Irish music. Dolores was an ever-popular band mate amongst her Dé Danann comrades and the many musicians she collaborated with over the years.
For many of us she was our hero, a pioneering woman in the music scene, someone who paved the way for others to follow and she taught us how a song should be sung. As a young girl growing up, it would not have even entered my mind that it could be unusual or challenging to be a woman on stage thanks to Dolores and her collaborators in Dé Danann and A Woman's Heart. We are indebted to her especially for that.
Dolores was always there. She was the soundtrack of my childhood and teenage years especially. Regular appearances on The Late Late Show were taped and re-watched until the videos wore out, with us all knowing verbatim the lyrics of 'Sweet Forget me Not’, ‘Caledonia’, ‘Lion in a Cage (Free Nelson Mandela)’, ‘Sonny’ and many more. I was in absolute awe of her. It was her voice, of course, that captivated me. A voice with such clarity and command, such soul and heart, such honesty.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, Remembering Dolores Keane
But of course, I just loved her style too - the glamourous clothes she wore, the sparkle, the beaming smile and that beautiful long hair. Looking back now on older footage of Keane, it is her poise and convincing delivery that impresses me most.
Dolores sang from the heart and in a lovely, natural Galway accent. There was never anything false or put-on in her singing, it was always her own voice. Every word of every song was important and each song was sung with the same conviction no matter the venue or audience.
She certainly made every song her own, from the traditional ‘Teddy O’Neill’, ‘Craigie Hills’, ‘My own Dear Galway Bay’ to contemporary songs such as ‘Let it Be’, ‘Never be the Sun’ and ‘Have I told you Lately that I love you’. As Dolores explained in the RTÉ documentary celebrating her 70th birthday:
‘It’s not about me, anyway. It’s about the song and a means and a way to get the feeling of the song across so many people so as they can feel the feeling you have when you’re singing it. It takes a lot out of you because you have to give it your all.’
Keane’s aunties, Rita and Sarah, shaped that singing and music and her honest approach to a song. Being a member of Dé Danann brought Dolores to national and international audiences and a widening repertoire of songs and through her collaborations with John Faulkner and later the ground-breaking ‘A Woman’s Heart’, Dolores’ discography was significant. She had great collaborations also with John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Tommy Sands and Norwegian singer Rita Erikson.
Two of my most memorable musical experiences involve Dolores Keane. In 2014, at a commemoratory concert for the late songwriter Tony Small in Galway, Dolores joined the line-up and even though she had been ill and had not sung in public for some time, she performed ‘Caledonia’ and ‘My Own Dear Galway Bay’ that night.
The love in the theatre for her was unbelievable as the audience, which included then President Michael D. and his wife Sabina, sang and encouraged Dolores along. Back stage, she was an absolute hoot regaling stories of tours with musicians Seán Ryan, Kathleen Loughnane and Alec Finn and she couldn’t have been more lovely to those of us that excitedly fan-girled her that night. When your hero is Dolores, meet your hero.
From RTÉ Archives, Dolores Keane and her aunts talk about how they learned songs growing up, and perform 'I Am Thinking Ever Thinking' in 1981
I will never forget being in the audience when Dolores was presented with the Gradam Saoil at the Gradam Ceoil TG4 awards at the National Concert Hall in 2022. When she took to the stage to sing ‘Caledonia’, she stood at the podium, like the Queen she was and we were all entranced, singing along and bawling at the same time. Again, the love in the room for her was unmatched and it was an award that was well-deserved as was the honorary doctorate Keane received from Ollscoil na Gaillimhe in 2024.
Like most people, life held ups and downs for Dolores Keane, but her solace was in music and song. As well as finding refuge in the songs herself, she also sang us through our own sorrows and joys, our heartbreaks and celebrations and we will continue to find solace in her singing for a long time to come. That special voice held strength yet vulnerability, grace yet command and an intimacy that only Dolores could bring.
Her final single, ‘My Refuge’, penned by Johnny Broderick and released in 2023, is poignant and beautiful, and in many ways, similar to Johnny Cash’s final release ‘Hurt’.
‘I was drawn to the bright light to see the cobwebs on the wall
Sang stages the world over from the famous to the small
The song I was singing, I was singing from the heart
But the life I was living, complicated from the start…
I sang through my troubles, I sang through the pain
Music was my refuge, music kept me sane
People thought they owned me, to do what I was told
Music was my rainbow, my constant crock of gold’
Slán abhaile agus codladh sámh a Dolores, ní bheidh do leithéid arís ann. Thanks for being our inspiration, our brave soul singer and our Banríon.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
