IRISH BALLAD SINGER ANNE BYRNE

Singer Anne Byrne

Anne Byrne had the classic ’show biz’ start to her singing career, appearing on stage at the age of three with her mother and father in amateur pantomime and musical shows. Her mother’s family, the Bradys, hail from Dun Laoghaire in Co. Dublin and were all extremely musical.

Anne Byrne. Regular on Irish TV.

Her uncle, the famous Willie Brady, who in the 1950s and 60s had been a recording artist for Avoca Records in the U.S.A. and Ireland, was one of the first Irish artists to revive and popularise the singing of Irish songs and ballads at this time. He was frequently to be heard on Radio Eireann.

Anne’s professional singing career began when, at 17, she won first prize in the Father Mathew Feis which brought her exceptional singing voice to the attention of a wider audience.
In the early sixties, The Abbey Tavern in Howth began to run ballad sessions and before long Anne was to become the leading female singer at this venue.
Her artistry soon attracted the attention of the new Irish television station (Telifis Eireann) and she was to become a regular performer on the numerous folk and ballad television programmes Telifis Eireann produced during the sixties and early seventies.

She produced four long playing records during this period (see below)

In 1969 Anne travelled to New York with her husband Paddy Roche to take up a residency singer Anne Byrne in the Irish Pavilion on 57th Street and Lexington. From this base she was to travel extensively throughout the USA performing in many prestigious venues. A highlight of her American sojourn was her performance at the Philladelphia folk festival in 1969 alongside such artists as Richard Thompson, Jim Croce, Doc Watson, and Fairport Convention.
In early 1971 Anne decided that the rearing of her two year old son Jason took precedence over her American singing career and she returned to Ireland to devote more of her time to family life. She still continued to sing in the major Dublin venues and throughout Ireland and also make many more television appearances. However with the arrival of her second son Oisin in 1973, Anne decided to retire from the professional entertainment world and now lives a very contented existence with her husband Paddy in Dun Loaghaire in Co. Dublin, the beautiful seaside town where she was born. A web site is being constructed for Anne and it is hoped that many of her recordings will be made available for download.