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FOLK SINGER DOLORES Keane has died at the age of 72.

She passed away at her home in Caherlistrane, Co Galway.

Keane was a member of Irish folk group De Dannan for two years, leaving in 1976 to pursue a successful solo career. She released her first solo album There Was a Maid in 1978.

She and her then-husband John Faulkner released three albums together from 1979 to 1981. She later rejoined De Dannan, but returned to a solo career.

Her 1988 rendition of Scottish musician Dougie MacLean’s Caledonia was among her biggest hits.

In a statement, President Catherine Connolly said it was with “profound sadness” that she learned of Keane’s death.

“She was one of the great voices of this island, and of the world.

“Shaped from childhood by the tradition of her aunts Rita and Sarah, she carried that forward with fierce, joyful intelligence, and she made it new,” Connolly said.

“With De Dannan, in her solo work, on A Woman’s Heart, and in recordings that have become part of the fabric of Irish life, she showed what it means to bring the full weight of yourself to a song.

“Nanci Griffith once said she had a sacred voice. She was right. But what made it sacred was her honesty. She gave everything, without pretence.”

Connolly extended her condolences to Keane’s son Joseph, her daughter Tara, her brother Seán, her sister Theresa, and to the wider Keane family.

“To all who loved her and were moved by her, and we are many, I say simply: a voice like hers does not leave us, it moves into the air and lives forever,” she concluded.

Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan said he was deeply saddened to hear of Keane’s passing, describing her as “one of Ireland’s most soulful and iconic voices”.

“A true pioneer of the folk tradition, her unique gift brought the beauty of Irish song to the global stage. Her music and her spirit will live on in the hearts of all who were moved by her incredible talent,” he said.