Jim McCann

Jim McCann, once a medical student whose interests shifted decisively toward performance, sustained a music career that lasted four decades. Rock & roll first drew him in, particularly the work of Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, whose late-'50s tours across the British Isles stood out as landmark events. By the early '60s he had turned toward folk music; the change occurred while he was employed in England, after which he returned to Ireland and entered the Dublin-based trio the Ludlows.

When that group disbanded in 1967, he appeared onstage in the distinctly Irish revue Gaels of Laughter, began singing regularly in clubs throughout Ireland and England, and launched a solo recording career that produced an initial pair of albums in the early '70s. He later joined the Dubliners as a temporary replacement for Ciaran Bourke, eventually taking Ronnie Drew’s place on a permanent footing; he stayed with the ensemble until 1979, then returned to solo work that encompassed both recordings and stage appearances. Several decades of chart success followed, among them a 36-week run for the single “Grace.” Beyond his own local and international engagements, McCann performed with English folk figures such as Ralph McTell and shared festival stages with Enya and Clannad.