Birthday profile

Luke Kelly

Luke Kelly, Irish singer, folk musician and actor (died 1984)

Born
November 17, 1940
Died
January 30, 1984
Zodiac sign
Scorpio
Birth year
1940

About Luke Kelly

Luke Kelly was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor from Dublin, Ireland. Born into a working-class household in the city, he moved to England in his late teens and became involved in the folk music revival there. After returning to Dublin in the early 1960s, he co-founded the Dubliners in 1962. Known for his distinctive singing style and occasional political themes, Kelly has been described by The Irish Post and other commentators as one of Ireland's greatest folk singers. After Dublin Corporation demolished Lattimore Cottages in 1942, the Kellys became the first family to move into the St.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Luke Kelly timeline

  1. After Dublin Corporation demolished Lattimore Cottages in 1942, the Kellys became the first family to move into the St.
  2. After returning to Dublin in the early 1960s, he co-founded the Dubliners in 1962.

The world when Luke Kelly was born

Luke Kelly was born in 1940. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1940

  • #1 song"In the Mood" – Glenn Miller
  • Top movieRebecca
  • Best-selling bookFor Whom the Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentFirst televised college basketball game
  • Top headlineWinston Churchill becomes British Prime Minister
  • Technology milestoneFirst McDonald's restaurant opens
  • Defining fadSwing music hits its peak
  • Notable inventionJeep (military vehicle)
  • World population2.30 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin D. Roosevelt
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • U.S. population132.2M

1940 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Luke Kelly's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19402026
Gas$0.18$3.45/gal
Average home$5,300$435,000
Average income$3,100$67,500
Minimum wage$0.30$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.25$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population132.2M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, MusicBrainz, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.