[citation needed] He was the founder and leader of the Dublin String Quartet, which also included Terry O'Connor (2nd violin), George H. Brett (viola), and Joseph Schofield (cello).
His son Arthur Darley Jnr was a guitarist who featured on some early recordings of Irish music.
The Arthur Darley Memorial Prize of the Feis Ceoil is awarded to violinists at the annual music festival.
He met Patrick Joseph McCall, a collector of traditional music who spent much of his time in Wexford.
[5] Darley supported the nationalist cause in the War of Independence, and his home, Bruckless House, provided shelter for republican leaders.
[7] As a result of his involvement in the Irish war of independence – he performed at many Easter 1916 commemorations in the Theatre Royal – an obituary for Darley featured in the Republican newspaper An Phoblacht in 1930.