Just finished reading Aidan O'Hara's biography of Delia. She was in fact born on 16 February 1902, at Ardroe, just outside Claremorris, Mayo. The family moved to Mount Jennings, Hollymount, just a few miles down the road, when she was about two. Her family was "comfortable" rather than wealthy: the farm being 134 acres.

"The Queen of Connemara" was one of her favourite songs, that's all: she didn't come from that region. She recorded about 100 songs in all (O'Hara lists them all), "Lovely Lasses" probably being her most popular. Liam Clancy regards her as pivotal in the Irish folk revival.

She graduated from UCG in 1923 (B.Comm), married the following year, had four children, and didn't start her pro singing career until her mid 30s. First recordings, on HMV, were in 1939. Her husband, Dr. (Ph.D) Tom Kiernan was foreign Ambassador for Ireland and Delia put his job first: with years of postings in England, Italy, Australia, Germany, US and Canada. She lived near Ottawa in the 60s. She met JFK and Jackie, with whom she got along very well and with whom she had a few heart to heart conversations.                                    

She was a real woman of the people, always putting down hypocrisy, pretentiousness and cant, using earthy language and enjoying a good drink, sometimes to the embarrassment of her husband in diplomatic circles. She died on 11 February 1971. A lot of copies of O'Hara's biog are availabe second hand and cheaply online.