Richie Kavanagh
| Richie Kavanagh | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Kavanagh |
| Born |
1949 (age 66) Fennagh, Carlow, Ireland |
| Genres | Comedy, Novelty |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1996-present |
| Website | Official website |
Richie Kavanagh (born 1949) is an Irish entertainer who writes and performs his own songs. Famous for the song Aon Focal Eile, he now has a number of hits to his name. Richie was born and raised in Raheenwood, Fenagh, Muine Bheag, County Carlow in Ireland where he still currently resides. Despite Psoriasis crippling Richie’s hands at the age of 44, he went on to harness his talents as a singer/songwriter and burst onto the national entertainment scene with the song Aon Focal Eile. Tony Keogh in Southeast Radio was the first man to play the CD and when Gerry Ryan began playing it on his morning show, the song became a runaway hit.
On 9 February 2011, while being interviewed on the Sue Nunn Programme on KCLR Radio, Richie announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Musical success
Aon Focal Eile featured in the top ten in the Irish charts for over six months was 8 weeks as number one and won Richie an IRMA award for Best Single of the Year in Ireland for 1996. The single is currently the 15th biggest selling single in Irish chart history[1] He has also had hits with The Mobile Phone, Mickey's Buckin' Ass and Pussy Pussy Cat.
Controversy
Richie's songs have often being a topic of international controversy due to his explicit and risque lyrics. Thus, the song Aon Focal Eile was banned from a number of BBC Radio stations (before the watershed, if not completely).
Examples include the use of the Irish word focal (hinting at the English profanity, fuck, although in translation, it simply means word).
References
- ↑ "Irish Charts - Top 20 Of All Time". IRMA. Retrieved 2008-11-23.