Music
06 Apr 18

Former U2, Clannad and Celtic Woman man Dave Kavanagh Has Died

It is with great sadness that we learned today of the death of Dave Kavanagh – one of the pivotal figures in the Irish music industry over the past 40-plus years

Hot Press has learned with great sadness of the death of Dave Kavanagh.

Best known in recent years for his pivotal role in the Celtic Woman phenomenon, and as the Executive Chairman of The Liffey Group of companies, Dave was a pioneering figure in Irish music, beginning in his role as Ents Officer in UCD in the middle of the 1970s. He was agent for U2 and the Boomtown Rats during their early Irish years. Dave had been battling with cancer over recent years, and had managed the illness with great strength and courage – and was still actively involved in the Celtic Woman touring show.

In the end Hot Press understands that his death came suddenly, and will be a huge shock to everyone he worked with, and across the industry in Ireland and internationally. He is survived by his wife Rhona and his son Luke and daughter Phoebe.

Dave Kavanagh started in the music business in 1975. He was the Ents officer in UCD, and launched his career professionally as the Irish agent for both U2 and The Boomtown Rats, as well as artists like Thin Lizzy, Christy Moore and The Chieftains. He ran the Occasion At The Castle, a festival in Castlebar, which ran for two years, which featured The Pretenders, Ian Dury, The Boomtown Rats, Clannad and many more of the leading lights of the time. He went on to manage Clannad, whom he took to international success with songs like ‘Harry’s Game’ and ‘In A Lifetime’, a duet with Bono.

He subsequently launched the Celtic Heartbeat label with U2 manager Paul McGuinness, which released over twenty Irish artists in the USA. The label’s main success was the Riverdance CD, which sold over 4 million copies.

Later, he was the creative motivator being the Celtic woman phenomenon, which has been a huge success in the US, in particular. In 2017 Celtic Woman played 3Arena for the first time. Among Liffey’s more recent successes have been The High Kings, who released their fourth LP, Grace & Glory, in 2016.

Hot Press interviewed Dave for U2: North Side Story, the book produced exclusively for U2 fans, back in 2014.