Luke Kelly Statue, Sheriff Street

This marble sculpture by portrait artist Vera Klute was unveiled on 30th January 2019 to mark the 35th anniversary of the death of Luke Kelly. A second sculpture of Luke Kelly by John Coll was unveiled on the same day on South King Street. Luke Kelly was a famous Irish folk singer and musician born in Dublin in 1940. He lived with his family in the Lattimore Cottages on Sheriff Street, (just a quarter of a mile from O’Connell Street) before they moved to the Laurence O’Toole flats where he spent most of his childhood. Growing up Luke developed an avid interest in music and theatre. He attended céilís with his sister Mona and listened to the music of Fats Domino, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. He was also involved in the staging of plays with Dublin Marian Arts Society. Luke moved to England in 1958 where he worked a number of odd jobs. It was there he got involved in the folk revival which was underway at the time. He started memorizing songs and bringing his banjo to sessions in McReady's pub in Leeds. Kelly returned to Dublin in 1962 and started singing in sessions at O’Donoghue’s pub, also attended by Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna. They formed The Dubliners, a band who garnered international success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads and instrumentals. Luke’s famous rendition of Raglan Road came about when the poem’s creator Patrick Kavanagh heard him singing in a Dublin pub. The poet approached Kelly to say he should sing the poem, which is set to the tune of The Dawning of the Day. Raglan road was later voted as Irelands’ favourite folk song following a series titled Ireland’s Favourite Folk Song on RTE. Luke Kelly died on 30th January 1984 leaving behind an incredible legacy. His contributions to the folk music scene have been described as iconic. Irish President Michael D. Higgins described Luke Kelly “an artist who left a profound footprint on Ireland’s musical landscape”