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 | |