Kane O'Hara

Kane O'Hara (b. Templehouse, Connaught, Ireland 1711 or 1712, d. Dublin, 17 June 1782) was an Irish playwright and musician.

The son of a squire from Sligo, O'Hara studied at Trinity College, Dublin. In 1757 he was a founder member of the Dublin Academy of Music.

His first publicly performed play was a burletta, "Midas". Other burlettas by Kane included "The Golden Pippin" and "Tom Thumb" (1780).

Kane also composed a variety of works including masques and oratorios.

In 1774, Kane established a theatre in Dublin called ' "Mr. Punch's Patagonian Theatre" ', which in 1776 transferred to London, producing puppet show versions of operas and burlettas. He went blind in 1781 but continued his interest in theatre until his death.

ource

Phyllis T. Dircks, "O'Hara, Kane (1711/12–1782)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://0-www.oxforddnb.com.catalogue.ulrls.lon.ac.uk:80/view/article/20635 subscriber access only] accessed 9 Sept 2007.