Irish singer
Sean Dunphy (30 November 1937 – 17 May 2011) was an Irish singer who represented Ireland at the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest , achieving second place with "If I Could Choose ". He was also the first Irish singer to record in Nashville .[ 1]
Career
Born in Whitehall, Dublin , Dunphy first became famous in his home country as lead singer with The Hoedowners, a showband led by trumpeter Earl Gill .[ 2] Between 1966 and 1973, fourteen singles by Sean Dunphy and The Hoedowners entered the Irish Charts including, in 1969, two number ones: "Lonely Woods of Upton " and "When The Fields Were White With Daisies". In the late 1970s, Dunphy went on to have two further hits as a solo artist.
Despite undergoing a quadruple heart bypass operation in 2007, Sean Dunphy continued to give live performances.[ 3] In March 2009, he sang many of his greatest hits in a one-off concert at Dublin 's National Concert Hall .[ 4] His last public engagement was at a charity event twenty-four hours before his death.[ 5]
On May 17, 2011, Dunphy died at his home in Baldoyle , County Dublin and is buried at Greenogue cemetery in Ashbourne, County Meath .[ 6]
Sean Dunphy and his wife Lily had four children. His son Brian is a member of the Irish band, The High Kings .[ 5]
Discography
Sean Dunphy and the Hoedowners
Year
Single
Chart Positions
IRE
1966
"Wonderful World of My Dreams"
3
"Showball Crazy"
2
1967
"4033"
17
"If I Could Choose "
2
"Talking Love"
13
1968
"Two Loves"
2
"Christmas Polka"
2
1969
"Lonely Woods of Upton"
1
"When the Fields Were White with Daisies"
1
1970
"The Old Fenian Gun"
5
"The Old Refrain"
19
1972
"There's an Island in the Sun"
10
"Michael Collins"
12
1973
"Pal of My Cradle Days"
3
Sean Dunphy solo
Year
Single
Chart Positions
CAN Country
CAN AC
IRE
1972
"Fields of Green"
—
3[ 7]
—
"And the Old House Died"
47[ 8]
—
—
"The Great White Horse"
23[ 9]
—
—
1977
"Santa Claus Is Coming Tonight"
—
—
14
1979
"Rosie"
—
—
30
References
^ RTÉ One A Little Bit Showband Archived 2009-09-17 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved September 25, 2009)
^ The Irish Times , "No injunction against dance band", August 10, 1967
^ The Irish Times , "A fresh spin for a ballroom of romance", June 12, 2007
^ Evening Herald , "Sean Dunphy - Showband era legend", March 26, 2009
^ a b Irish Independent , "Tributes as singer and showband legend Sean Dunphy dies", May 18, 2011
^ Irish Independent , "A final rapturous applause as 'the Duke' laid to rest", May 21, 2011
^ "RPM Adult Contemporary Chart March 25, 1972" . Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2010 .
^ "RPM Country Singles Chart March 25, 1972" . Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2010 .
^ "RPM Country Singles Chart August 19, 1972" . Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2010 .
External links
Participation Artists Songs Note: Entries scored out signify where Ireland did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest. See also: Irish Eurovision discography
Countries Artists Songs
"L'amour est bleu "
"Anouschka "
"Boum-Badaboum "
"Dukkemann "
"Hablemos del amor "
"If I Could Choose"
"Ik heb zorgen "
"Il doit faire beau là-bas "
"Non andare più lontano "
"Puppet on a String "
"Quel cœur vas-tu briser ? "
"Ring-dinge-ding "
"Som en dröm "
"Varjoon – suojaan "
"O vento mudou "
"Vse rože sveta "
"Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt "
International National Artists People