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]
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]
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 |
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 |