b. Katherine Leddy, Butlersbridge, Co. Cavan, Eire. Durkin’s father, Eugene Leddy (d. January 2002), was a noted dance band leader in the 50s. She learned piano accordion and enjoyed singing but did not seek a professional career. In the late 70s, she married (Andrew Durkin) and had two children. She starred in the Cavan ladies football team, which won All Ireland honours in 1977. In the early 80s, she sang with a local band, Cavan, around the clubs, and an appearance on RTE television gained her a recording contract with Harmac Records. Her 1988 recording of ‘Midnight To Moonlight’ proved very successful. She appeared at the Wembley International Country Music Festival in 1990 and a year later, she scored a big hit in Ireland with her version of Rita MacNeill’s ‘Working Man’. In recent years, she has worked to consolidate her position as one of the top female vocalists not only in her native Eire but also by touring country clubs in the UK.