Luke Kelly, born on 17 November 1940 in Dublin, was an Irish singer, banjo player and actor whose career began in the early 1960s after a period of work in England. He joined The Dubliners in 1962, contributing his distinctive voice to the group’s debut album The Dubliners (1964) and to landmark recordings such as Irish Night Out (1965) and Seven Drunken Nights (1968). His solo work includes The Luke Kelly Album with the Dubliners (1981) and posthumous releases such as The Collection (1994) and The Definitive Collection (2010). Kelly’s performances of "The Rocky Road to Dublin", "On Raglan Road" and "Scorn Not His Simplicity" became staples of Irish folk music, and his participation in tours across Europe and the United States helped popularise the genre internationally. He died in Dublin on 30 January 1984 at age 43; posthumously he has been commemorated with statues, a bridge named after him, and continued sales of his recordings.
