Michael O'Duffy

Irish tenor vocalist from Derry, born on November 29, 1918 and died on April 19, 2003 aged 84. He became well known in the late 1940s for his rendition of popular Irish ballads such as 'I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen', 'Come Back Paddy Reilly' and 'Slattery's Mounted Foot'. Michael O'Duffy won the Golden Voice Contest at the Adelphi Theatre, Dublin, in 1939, and began a career which took him to venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Melbourne Bowl and the New Zealand Opera House. His singing featured in several films, including John Ford's 'The Rising of the Moon' and 'The Quiet Man', starring John Wayne. He performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra and was particularly popular with the Irish diaspora. Father of producer siblings Alan O'Duffy and Paul O'Duffy.