Noted Irish Singer Dónal Maguire to Perform

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 1, 2009) − Celebrated Irish traditional singer Dónal Maguire will present a rare U.S. performance on the University of Kentucky campus. The concert, presented by the UK John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, is scheduled for noon Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Niles Gallery located in the Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center. The concert, featuring one of the finest traditional singers of Ireland, is free and open to the public.      

Maguire hails from Drogheda, Co Louth, Ireland, and migrated to the south of England as a 15-year-old in 1963. Like many emigrants he became increasingly aware of his cultural roots. This awareness would form the basis of the singer's consuming interest in Irish culture and traditions.

Prior to training as a teacher studying sociology and education at Goldsmiths College, at the University of London, Maguire taught in Ghana and traveled throughout West Africa. He also gained a postgraduate diploma in counseling at Manchester University.

Upon completion of his studies, Maguire taught in mainstream secondary school in London for five years before becoming a specialist working with juvenile justice teams in Lancashire. He moved to Haslingden where Michael Davitt and family migrated.

Maguire's interest in music ran alongside his teaching duties, and he is widely regarded as one of the finest traditional singer/musicians in the British Isles and Ireland. He was resident at the renowned Singer Club in London prior to moving northward. Maguire's performances continue to receive critical acclaim as does his recorded work. He has performed throughout Great Britain and Ireland, the U.S., Australia and western Europe, and has delivered many workshops/lectures on traditional singing throughout his career. Following early retirement, Maguire has been able to devote more time to his passion and has also taught as part of the traditional music degree course at Newcastle University, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The centenary celebrations of Davitt's death encouraged Maguire to research songs and broadside ballads pertaining to his life and times, and this culminated in the production of a CD, "Michael Davitt, The Forgotten Hero?," and an extended tour throughout Britain and Ireland in 2007. The songs form an integral part of a musically illustrated lecture given to highlight Davitt's enormous contribution to the 19th century socio-political landscape in both Ireland and the rest of Great Britain.

To listen to music from Dónal Maguire, visit the musician's MySpace Web page at www.myspace.com/donalmaguire.

For more information on the Dónal Maguire concert, contact Ron Pen, director of the Niles Center, by phone at (859) 257-8183 or via e-mail to Ron.Pen@uky.edu, or Dan Cummins at (859) 396-4491or via e-mail to djcummins03@yahoo.com.