Noel Kelehan

Noel Kelehan (26 December 1935 – 6 February 2012) was an Irish musician, former conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and former musical director of Radio Telefís Éireann. He retired as conductor in 1998.

Life and career

As well as being an accomplished jazz pianist, he was most famous for being the conductor of many Irish entries to the Eurovision Song Contest, beginning in 1966 and ending in 1998. He conducted five winning Irish entries, in 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, and 1996. The winning Irish entry of 1970 was conducted by the Dutch host conductor Dolf van der Linden. In 1994, the winning song was performed without orchestral accompaniment. However, an entry rated second that year, "To nie ja!" performed by Edyta Górniak from Poland, was also conducted by Kelehan. In total, Kelehan conducted 29 Eurovision entries, 24 of them Irish. In 1999, after Kelehan retired, the use of an orchestra was discontinued at the Contest.

He died at the age of 77, in Dublin on 6 February 2012, after a long illness. His funeral took place in Dublin on 9 February 2012.

Performance credits

Kelehan had several records to his credit; most notably he wrote the string arrangements for U2's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire.