Seán Keane

Sean Keane, sibling to one of Ireland's most celebrated vocalists Dolores Keane, has earned steady recognition for his individual abilities. A onetime participant in Reel Union with his sister plus Mairtin O'Connor and Johnny Faulkner, and later in Arcady alongside Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh, Sharon Shannon, Cathal Hayden, and Frances Black, Keane established his strongest reputation through solo work. His inaugural solo release, All Heart, No Roses, appeared in 1994 and received Debut Album of the Year honors from Q Magazine. Three years afterward readers of Irish Music Magazine chose him as Performer of the Year.

Keane revealed musical aptitude in childhood. After brief experiments with accordion and fiddle he settled most naturally on vocals. He began performing at age seven and soon took first place in a competition at the Connaught Fleadh. By his late teens he had accumulated 13 all-Ireland medals for singing. Although music occupied him, theater initially held greater appeal. He performed in Druid's staging of Merriman's poem "The Midnight Court" and in Tom McIntyre's Sheep's Milk on the Boil at the Abbey Theater. Full commitment to music arrived only in 1994.

Across his career Keane has interwoven traditional material with contemporary writing. All Heart, No Roses emphasized traditional tunes, many absorbed from his grandmother. The follow-up, Turn a Phrase, arrived in April 1996 and highlighted recent songcraft. Its successor, No Stranger, followed in July 1998 and continued that approach. His present group comprises James Blennerhassett on bass and background vocals together with Robbie Overson and Ted Ponsonby, each handling guitar and background vocals.