A nine-year-old singer from west Belfast has become an online sensation after his performance of Spancill Hill at Belfast’s inaugural Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann was shared widely on social media.
Daniel Kavanagh spent much of Fleadh week singing around Belfast after his father, Dan Anthony, agreed to let him busk in the city. A video of Daniel performing the traditional Irish folk ballad was watched by thousands of people worldwide, prompting members of the public and businesses to offer him guitars and singing lessons free of charge.
Busking led to offers of musical support
Daniel had initially hoped to raise enough money from busking to buy a guitar. Instead, after the video spread online, people contacted his father offering to provide him with a guitar and lessons and encouraging him to keep the money he had earned.
Anthony said his son had repeatedly asked to sing on Belfast’s streets before Daniel’s mother helped gather a small crowd to hear him perform. Daniel later returned to the Fleadh throughout the week, singing for crowds and appearing alongside more experienced adult musicians in some of the main tents.
The performances raised hundreds while Daniel busked in Belfast city centre. The experience also gave him the chance to meet people from across Ireland and beyond, according to his father.
‘An old soul’ with ambitions beyond music
Anthony described Daniel as an “old soul” in a young body and said the boy sings with passion. He recalled Daniel reading song lyrics and quickly singing them back, adding that he had long recognised his son’s ability with words.
Daniel said his “daddy, nanny, mummy and granda” had all sung to him when he was younger, helping inspire his own interest in music. Asked about his ambitions, he said he wanted to become a hurler, a Gaelic player and “probably a musician”.
The family is already looking ahead to next year’s Fleadh, when Daniel is expected to return with a microphone. Anthony described the week as an “unreal experience” and said it was the best thing that had happened to Belfast.
