Paddy Keenan died today. The news was perhaps expected, word was he was very unwell.
May he rest well.
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So sad. I met him a few times. He was a gentle soul.
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Since making the first post in this thread I have been reflecting a bit on all of this.
I listened a lot to the Bothy Band from 1975 onward (and who didn’t?) so that put Keenan on the map for me. I got his duet album Doublin, with Paddy Glackin in what must have been 1979 and listened to that a lot as a beginning piper. In 1980 I was in Dublin, reluctant and nervous to go into NPU but my companion twisted my arm and urged me on. Walking up Capel street on the way to Henrietta street I spotted Keenan across the street, wearing the same jacket he had on in the photograph on the back of the Doublin album. He looked across, spotted the case and gave me a look. I was entering piping territory, or that’s how it felt. I was made welcome in NPU and was an impromptu piping lesson was organised for me. The journey had started in earnest (excuse the use of the ‘journey’ cliché).
It was annual Willie weeks from then on. Keenan was around in those years. A wild man. There are ofcourse plenty of stories around that like the one from an early Willie week where Keenan and Tommy Peoples nicked a bicycle from a nun and raced up and down the mainstreet, chased by the roaring nun.
In later years Paddy seems to have come to terms with whatever demons were haunting him and found a more introspective, reflective persona, comfortable with his place in the world.
There are memories ofcourse. In 1989 a group of us went into town after the Willie week piping concert. It was my first time on the ‘big’ concert and I was running on adrenaline. It was some night I was on the programme between John O’Brien and Keenan and Tommy Reck and Mick O’Brien were on last. Anyhow, we retreated to the Central hotel, Paddy Keenan was there, Leo Rickard, Micho Russell came along, Ronnie Wathen, Francie McPeake and others. Leo Rickard was sporting a Rock and Roll image that year, hair greased back. Keenan liked it. Leo got he Brilcream or whatever he was using and let Paddy have a go. They played on like that. It was one of those nights.
Keenan seemed to be reluctant to play on his own, like many players he liked a bit of ‘help’. There was one early 90s recital he was supposed to play. There was a buzz, as there would be, about him playing loads of people keen to see him. He was scouting around for someone to join him. He wanted Martin Nolan but Martin coudn’t be found and eventually Ronan Browne stepped in. The two were feeding off eachother, trying to outsmart the other and some really brilliant and exciting piping went down.
In more recent years he returned to the Willie week, playing at the commemoration at Willie’s grave with James Keane a few times.
Or playing the Muiris O Rochain memorial concert.
A few years ago we had a small group of pipers meeting in Miltown Malbay, to help young players along or just as a bit of a social gathering. Unfortunately this turned out a short lived thing but two years ago we linked in with International Uilleann Pipes Day. There was a good turn out Paddy Keenan turned up out of the blue. Had a go at Blackie’s flat set and joined the big group for tunes.
I am not sure I have seen him since. Last summer word went around he was gravely ill. He was scheduled to appear at a Traveller music event in Kilfenora this summer but had to cancel for health reasons.
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Peter,
Thanks so much that retrospective, that was amazing! Met him once or twice over the years when he came to the USA for some piping clinics. Forever a Legend!!
Steve
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Thank you, Peter, for sharing these lovely memories and pictures with us. Rest in peace, Paddy.
As a parting note before leaving this thread, a final image: Paddy Keenan and Cyril O’Donoghue recording for TG4 Fleadh TV during the 2016 Fleadh in Ennis.
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Thanks a million - Jonathan