[3][4][5] He won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London, where he met his wife, Rita Tate (real name Margherita Odoli), a niece of the opera singer Maggie Teyte.
[1] He made his first recordings, as Cavan O'Connor, for the Vocalion label in 1925, including "I'm Only a Strolling Vagabond" from the operetta The Cousin from Nowhere, which became his signature song.
He also joined Nigel Playfair's revue company at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, before moving on to playing lead roles in opera productions at the Old Vic, often performing in French, Italian and Spanish.
During the Second World War he settled in Bangor, north Wales, and regularly appeared on the Irish Half Hour radio programmes.
He retired at one point to set up an electrical goods business, but then resumed his music career in the Avonmore Trio with his wife and son, to give occasional performances and make recordings, the last in 1984.