Garech Browne: The irascible Guinness heir who did so much for Irish music

A new book, Real to Reel, details the fascinating life and musical connections of the founder of Claddagh records 

Garech Browne was a major advocate for Irish culture. Picture: Perry Ogden 

When Claddagh Records co-founder and creative force Garech Browne was in his teens in the mid-50s he studied French at the Berlitz School in Paris.

Although both wilful and ill-disciplined – the aristocratic son of Dominick Browne, the 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne, had ran away from boarding schools in Switzerland and England and ended his formal education at 15 – he could see how a facility in French might be advantageous, especially for the high society life he was enjoying in the City of Light.