Statement by President Connolly on the death of Dolores Keane
Date: Mon 16 Mar, 2026 | 20:30
“It is with profound sadness that I learned of the death of Dolores Keane. She was one of the great voices of this island, and of the world.
Shaped from childhood by the tradition of her aunts Rita and Sarah, she carried that forward with fierce, joyful intelligence, and she made it new.
With De Dannan, in her solo work, on A Woman's Heart, and in recordings that have become part of the fabric of Irish life, she showed what it means to bring the full weight of yourself to a song.
Nanci Griffith once said she had a sacred voice. She was right. But what made it sacred was her honesty. She gave everything, without pretence.
My deepest condolences go to her son Joseph, her daughter Tara, her brother Seán, her sister Theresa, and to the wider Keane family. To all who loved her and were moved by her, and we are many, I say simply: a voice like hers does not leave us, it moves into the air and lives forever.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.”