Luke Kelly would have turned 80 years old this week.

Despite having passed away over 35 years ago, the influence of Luke Kelly on the music scene in Ireland can still be felt to this day. One of his most famous songs is his interpretation of Scorn Not His Simplicity, which was originally written by Phil Coulter, and appeared on Revolution, the 1970 album by The Dubliners. However, the song was of such personal significance to Coulter, as it was written about his experiences of being a father to his newborn son who had been diagnosed with Down syndrome, that Kelly himself had famously said should not be sung except for special occasions. Jump forward to 2020, and Coulter has recorded a new interpretation of the song, this time with Ryan Hennessy, lead singer of Picture This, in order to celebrate what would have been Luke Kelly's 80th birthday this week. As Phil Coulter says in the post, "I am so excited about this brand new and quite historic version of one of my favourite and most requested songs. Ryan Hennessy is the lead singer in Ireland’s hottest young band Picture This. During a co writing session with Ryan and his partner Jimmy Rainsford, it transpired that they were big fans of Luke Kelly. "That’s how this recording came about. What is most significant about this collaboration is that Ryan is 25 years of age and the voice of a young generation. Luke would have been 80 on 17th November. This would have made a perfect birthday present." Watch the collaboration in full right here: https://www.facebook.com/100221401719948/posts/179644090444345/