Garech a Brún / Browne (1939–2018), famously a member of the Guinness brewing dynasty, came to Irish music in the 1950s after teenage years spent in England. After studying the uilleann pipes with Leo Rowsome in Dublin, he co-founded and financed the record company Claddagh Records in 1959. Garech went on to issue many classic recordings of Irish traditional music, and to open Claddagh retail outlets and a distribution arm. The Claddagh catalogue now runs to over 100 individual recordings of the music, all of a high standard. Claddagh is best known internationally for the eleven early recordings of The Chieftains, whose albums first were issued by the label. They became major contributors to the twentieth-century globalisation of Irish traditional music. In his Irish home at Luggala, Co. Wicklow, Garech held court over the years for a stream of international artists and performers, including many Irish traditional musicians. He also served on the ITMA Board.