Has anybody heard or knows about this piper? Tom Kerrigan late 1800 to early 1900 it has written on the back of the picture.A guy came up to me playing the other day and said it was his great, (or great great) grandfather and gave me a picture of him the only one he had, which his brother photo shopped to make it a little more clearer. Will try and upload the picture. Thanks
There’s a full page article and photo of Kerrigan in Francis O’Neill’s 1913 book “Irish Minstrels and Musicians,” which Bill Haneman has generously transcribed and posted on his site. Look about 2/3 of the way down this page:
O’Neill’s book is such a great resource. I love lines like:
Rare indeed are men of such versatility, and however willing we may be to concede all that is claimed for him as a piper, fiddler, and vocalist, we must in all fairness acquit him of the accusation of being a poet, on the evidence submitted by Mr. Le Fanu himself.
On one occasion he went to Wales and got along swimmingly with the miners until asked to play the “Collier’s Reel.” Unfortunately. This was a “new one on him.” “Tim” Callaghan’s excuse or proposition to “give them one as good’, was not satisfactory. To be unable to play the tune so named after their trade or calling was to be unworthy of their patronage. And the story goes that Morris was chased out of town for this deficiency in his repertoire.
After coming to America he told Mr. Burke that he played for fourteen years in the “canteen.” and during that time he never went to bed a night sober.
Neither halt nor blind, he took to music through pure love of it…
One thing that has interested me for awhile is learning the whereabouts of the sets that these pipers played. It’d be great to compile a database and see how they’ve moved through the years or where/when they disappeared.
OK thats the picture he gave me, Thanks alot guy will pass it on.
You’re welcome, and be sure to ask what happened to the Taylor set his grandparents treasured so 
Tom Busby used to have them, he gave them to Martin Kerrigan.
I have an old copy of Sing Out!, the folkie magazine, with an article by Barry O’Neill about Irish music - this was in the early 70s, when this stuff was wholly arcane to most Yanks and most Irish for that matter. Included a transcription of Touhey playing Drowsie Maggie - Barry told me he did that with a rudimentary computer - also had the picture of Tom Kerrigan as printed in IMM, but with another person in the shot who O’Neill cropped out, famed dancer Dan McCarthy. Dan McCarthy’s Fancy is a reel in O’Neill’s which piper Liam Walsh recorded twice on 78.
Barry also compared the Chieftains to a Soviet State Ensemble. I like their music myself but that’s still funny, if you know what Iron Curtain music sounded like.
If I come across that mag I’ll scan the photo. Fiddler Dale Russ says that article was very helpful to him in figuring out how to play ITM.
I was contacted one of Tom Kerrigan’s Great-Grandaughters some years ago, her name
is Ursula Walsh, and she grew up in NYC. Ursula is a retiree, now living in Tennesee.
She had many stories about her famous Ancestor. I have a copy of the photo of
Tom and Dan that she sent me…very Pre-Riverdance.
Sean Folsom
Tom Busby used to have them, he gave them to Martin Kerrigan.
Wish someone would give a set of Taylor brothers pipes preferably one like the set Joe Shannon had that is on Pat Skys tutor book 
Question is from O’Neill they were the first set made in the USA by them and studying the photo the chanter appears to be completely square not rounded on the top. this is first edition I am looking at with good quality pictures in the music library in London rather than the crapy photocopy styled one I have. Anyone seen th set in real life ?
John
I’d noticed that too - looks to be a double chanter. Martin Kerrigan’s a very private man I’m told.