Tributes pour in following death of Paddy Keenan, the 'Jimi Hendrix of the uilleann pipes'
Paddy Keenan was the third generation in his family to take up the uilleann pipes; both his father and grandfather were uilleann pipers.
Tributes have poured in for one of Ireland’s most influential traditional musicians and master of the uilleann pipes, Paddy Keenan.
Born into a renowned musical family, Keenan carried forward a rich tradition of Irish music while forging his own style. A founding member of The Bothy Band, Keenan’s style continued to mature in the intervening years since the break-up of the band as he pursued a solo career.
Keenan’s death at 76 was announced on Wednesday, with tributes pouring in for the Meath-born musician.
The Irish Traditional Music Archive released a statement on Wednesday night, saying it was “deeply saddened” by the death of the iconic uilleann piper, describing Keenan as “one of the most celebrated traditional musicians of all time”.
Speaking to the on Thursday, Will Hammond of Cork Folk Fest, said: "The Cork Folk Festival team are deeply saddened with the passing of a great uilleann piper Paddy Keenan. Paddy was a frequent visitor to Cork Festival over four decades. At the folk fest he featured at solo concerts, piper's club events and played with Frankie Gavin, Tommy Sullivan and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill.
"His playing of a set of pipes made by Cork pipe maker Tadhg Crowley in an open style and was known sometimes as the 'Paganini of the pipes' for his eccentric personality and his natural abilities to play."
Hammond recalled a tale from one of Keenan's visits to an early Cork Folk Festival. "Paddy was playing a session in the Phoenix bar with Johnny Moynihan and Chris Twomey. He got a call to do a sound check in Connolly Hall, and when Paddy came out of the packed pub and saw the river Lee in full tide.
"So without a thought he jumped in and swam over to Connolly Hall. He was greeted with amazement by the door staff when he proceeded to mount the stairs with his trench coat and cowboy hat dripping wet to attend his soundcheck!"
Born into a travelling family in Trim, Co Meath, and raised in Dublin, Keenan was the third generation in his family to take up the uilleann pipes; both Paddy's father and grandfather were uilleann pipers.
Taught by his father from the age of 10, Keenan played his first major concert at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, when he was 14.
At 17, he left Ireland for England. Before moving on to busk across Europe, he spent some time singing and playing guitar around London's tube stations. It was here he developed an appreciation for blues music and began incorporating the style into his own playing.
Returning to Ireland after a few years, he played on and off with The Pavees in Dublin. Sometime later, after a month-long tour with ‘Monroe’ (Mícheál Ó Dhomhnaill and Mick Hanly) in Brittany, Keenan began gigging around Ireland with Ó Dhomhnaill and his sister Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, fiddler Paddy Glackin, and accordion player Tony McMahon.
A little later, flute player Matt Molloy came on board. Shortly after, Donal Lunny was asked to listen to the six. Liking what he heard, he joined as well, and the loosely-knit band began calling itself Seachtar, the Irish word for seven.
Seachtar's first major concerts were in the National Stadium and Trinity College. They played a few more gigs around the country, but circumstances soon forced Tony MacMahon to drop out. When the rest of the band decided to turn professional, Paddy Glackin left as well; he was replaced by Donegal fiddler Tommy Peoples, who was later replaced by fiddler Kevin Burke. The group became known as The Bothy Band.
Keenan's virtuosity on the pipes, combined with the ferocity of his playing, made him, in the opinion of many, the band’s driving force. His bandmate Donal Lunny once described Keenan as "the Jimi Hendrix of the pipes".
Keenan’s style of music continued to mature in the years after the break-up of the band, as he pursued a solo career, bringing his musical style to audiences around the world.
Keenan’s contributions to traditional Irish music were honoured in 2002, when he received the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year award, which is presented to musical heroes of the modern age, and in 2011 by the Irish Music Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2023, he performed for the Irish Traditional Music Archive at the Drawing from the Well concert, a tribute to his Bothy Band colleague Tommy Peoples.
The National Concert Hall posted on X: “The National Concert Hall is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Paddy Keenan, master of the uilleann pipes and founding member of the Bothy Band. His remarkable performances at @NCH_Music in 2023 with ITMA & in 2022 for Tradition Now demonstrated his exceptional artistry.
“A transformative figure in traditional music & often referred to as the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the uilleann pipes’, Paddy Keenan's immeasurable talent has helped to shape our rich musical heritage. We extend our deepest condolences to Paddy's friends, family, and colleagues at this time.”
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President of Cycling Ireland and former Fine Gael TD, Ciaran Cannon, posted: “Our traditional music is such a precious element of our culture. Without the generational talent of people like Paddy Keenan, who imbue it with new energy, richness and relevance, it would stagnate and die. His extraordinary contribution will endure for generations. RIP.”
Designer Suzanna Crampton of Zwartbles Ireland posted: “I’ve just heard very sad news that Paddy Keenan has died. Years ago I’d some fantastic nights out with him in Virginia whenever he played at the Prism coffee house. He also made me sing at a session I pulled together at a bar called Millers.”
Many social media users shared video links to Keenan’s music, paying tribute to not only the talented musician himself, but the music he created that made people feel many emotions.
Professor and physician at Edinburgh University, Alasdair MacLullich, posted on X: “The great Irish piper Paddy Keenan has passed away. RIP and condolences to his family. One of the greats of all time in traditional music. Listen to the Maids of Mitchelstown by the Bothy Band here. For me, one of the most beautiful and perfect pieces of music ever.”
Back in 2023, reflecting on some of his favourite hobbies and most memorable moments, Keenan told the that the best gig he had ever seen, if he had to pick one, was a free concert by the Rolling Stones in 1969 in Hyde Park, London. His favourite recent gig, at that time, was “a session last Friday with the neighbours at Buddies pub in Tipperary”.
When asked what his best or most famous celebrity encounter was, he simply replied: “Linda, Dolly and Emmy,” referring to singers Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris.
