Dan Milner

Who is Dan Milner?

Dan Milner is a singer of traditional Irish songs in North America.

The Milner family moved frequently following World War II, the result being that Dan grew up in far-flung localities including Birmingham, Ballybunion, Toronto and Brooklyn. Both Dan's parents were musical; his mother being a keen set dancer, and his father, a fine singer.

William Milner was raised by his mother and maternal grandfather, Patrick McKay of Ennis, County Clare from whom he learned his first traditional songs. Dan picked up some of that repertoire, a musical melange including “Skibbereen,” “The Wild Rover” and traditional ballads like “Barbara Allen” as well as Fenian and Republican pieces like “McCaffery” and “Kevin Barry.” Along with his elder brother, Liam, Dan learned these plus Thomas Moore songs and Irish-American lyrics from Tin Pan Alley. He writes, "Though they came from different places and time periods, I link them together as Irish national songs in the sense that, individual taste aside, Irish people would agree they all are part of the country’s national heritage and consciousness".