Liam Devally - Eileen Aroon

Liam Devally's singing career started in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, where he achieved considerable success as a boy soprano. He won the Gold Medal in the 1947 Feis Ceoil; the adjudicator, Dr Sidney Northcote, commented that 'his singing was colourful and he had given a sincere performance.' He went on to win the Silver Medal in the tenor section of the 1954 Feis Ceoil where his test pieces were Fair House of Joy and My Lagan Love. His recording of the latter appears on a number of Irish tenor compilation albums currently available.

Liam was never a professional singer in the strict sense, preferring to combine his singing with broadcasting work. In 1953, aged twenty, he became one of Radio Eireann's youngest continuity announcers, and later he was a TV and radio presenter and producer with RTE. He performed and travelled extensively, including a tour of the US and Canada with the Irish Festival Singers with whom he recorded at least one album. He performed twice on the Ed Sullivan show. He also recorded a number of solo albums, including Songs of the Emerald Isle from which this track is taken. Unfortunately, the exact year of the recording is unknown but is most likely to date from the late 50s or early 60s.

Eileen Aroon is a well-known Irish ballad that has been recorded by innumerable artists. Bob Dylan obviously has a soft spot for it as he has performed it occasionally in concerts - a sound recording of one such performance in 1988 is available on YouTube. If you're interested, Jürgen Kloss has a detailed piece on the history of the song on his site More Roots Of Bob (http://www.morerootsofbob.com/index.html). He suggests Dylan may have heard the song from The Clancy Brothers who released a version in the early sixties. Of course, it is always possible that Dylan discovered it on this album prior to The Clancys' release - in which case Liam can take a bow for having inspired His Bobness.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Liam
• Devally
• Eileen
• Aroon
• FMR
• Connemara
• Bob
• Dylan

[LindsayCurran]

Isn't it grand how each singer - intonation - voice - gives a special and unique grace - to this masterpiece? @Helldodger, deepest compliments to your Uncle! Hope you can tell him how magnificent others - an ocean apart - worldwide - find him! Thank you, Conhammck, for posting & with such excellent notes!

[Phillipa1]

Love that last verse....

[Helldodger]

That's my Uncle. I'm very proud of him.

Thanks for sharing.

[lorgain2]

Lovely singing,thanks for posting.