He was one of a handful of noted musicians who kept Dublin's concert life in the nineteenth century alive under difficult economic circumstances.

Levey's original surname was O'Shaughnessy, but according to one of his most prominent pupils, the composer Charles Villiers Stanford, he changed it "for what he considered to be a more musical one".

[4] On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his association with the Theatre Royal, he was presented on stage with a "testimonial" from the Duke of Leinster and the Earl of Charlemont and a benefit performance.

[4] Still a young man, Levey played in the orchestra during Angelica Catalani's tour of Ireland in 1829 and the visit to Dublin of Michael William Balfe's opera company in 1839.

His great-grandson, Michael Levey (1927–2008), was director the National Gallery, London, from 1973 to 1986, and author of The Life and Death of Mozart (1971).

A contemporary source described Levey as "an accomplished instrumentalist, a skilful composer, a firm but considerate director, an agreeable companion and a respected citizen".