Browse Items (51 total)

LISTEN to the interview Kevin Burke was born in London to parents from Sligo. He began learning to play fiddle from around the age of seven and absorbed the music he heard played around him by migrant musicians. As a teenager he played regularly in…

Vincent Campbell plays a Scottish strathspey on fiddle.

LISTEN to the interview Vincent Campbell plays tunes interspersed with stories about them and recollections of his youth and time in Britain. He was born in An tSeanga Mheáin, in the Gaeltacht near Glenties, Co. Donegal. The music of the region was…

LISTEN to the interview Sean Chamberlain describes his youth in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork, his migration to London, and the many dance bands he played in over the years. He returned in 1973 to help his brother open a bakery. He lives in the house his…

The Popular Five in Mitchelstown, Co. Cork in the 1950s
Left to right: Pa Duffy, TJ Hartigan, Sean Chamberlain, Charlie Sweeney, and Jimmy Walsh

The Woodpeckers playing at the Cricklewood Hotel in London, c.1960. They started as part of the Cricklewood bus garage social club and eventually ended up playing for social events at other groups too.
Left to right: Jimmy Hanly (from Mitchelstown),…

Tommy and the Whelps, playing at the Black Lion pub, Kilburn High Road, London, c.1962.
Left to right: Tom Gordon (from Dromore West, Sligo), Clark Gail (from Glasgow), Pat Brady (from Ballyfermot, Dublin), and Sean Chamberlain.

The Hijackers dance band playing at The Crown in Cricklewood, London, c.1970.
Left to right: Sean Chamberlain, Tom Godron, Bríd (Sean's wife), and Jack Crowley (from Ardgroom, Cork).

The James Fitzgerald Memorial Brass & Reed Band of Mitchelstown, Co. Cork in 1980 on their way to play at a competition in Clonakilty.

Photographs from Danny Meehan's childhood and of his family members. They depict:
1) Peter Meehan, Danny's grandfather
2) Susan McGroarty, Danny's grandmother
3) Danny (holding fiddle) with his Aunt Jane and family
4) Danny as a baby being held…