Paddy Canny & Frankie Gavin

http://www.feaklefestival.ie/
Two jigs played at The Crosses Of Annagh Pub, just outside Miltown Malbay,County Clare in that great east Clare style of playing.
http://www.setdancingnews.net/wcss/wcsst.htm
Paddy was born in 1919 in Glendree, a townland in the parish of Tulla, County Clare. He was the youngest of three sons born to a farmer, Pat Canny, and his wife Catherine MacNamara. Traditional music was an integral part of the Canny household. Paddy first learned how to play the fiddle from his father, who taught many local children. He also learned a thing or two from Pat MacNamara, a blind fiddler who for many years would come to stay with the Cannys during the winter months. MacNamara would also give music lessons to the neighborhood kids, and to Pat Canny himself. In fact, it can be truthfully said that the very distinct style of East Clare fiddling originated in and spread from the Canny home. Let that blow your mind for just one second: this entire style and tradition can be traced back to a single household.

Paddy passed on what he had learned by taking students of his own. One of those first students was a boy named P.J. Hayes, who was just a few years younger than Paddy and lived a mile away. Paddy taught P.J. how to play the fiddle when they were both in their early teenage years. Another fiddler, Martin Nugent from Feakle, encouraged Paddy to join him in playing at dances at his uncle's house. Soon the young fiddler and his friend P.J. could be heard regularly at barn dances, weddings, and ceilis all over the area. P.J. would grow up to be a legendary fiddler in his own right.

Ask yourself: how often do you see 12 and 13 year olds teaching each other how to play musical instruments? I can't help but wonder what kind of world we would be living in if they did. I'm going to go out on a limb and speculate that it'd be a better world than the one we're living in now.

I digress.

Paddy's passion for the traditional music was great, indeed. The liner notes of Paddy's recent solo recording tell of how he would bring the fiddle out to the garden and the meadow to learn tunes written for him by other musicians, including his good friend and fellow fiddler Martin Rochford. This passion would lead him to form (with P.J. Hayes) one of Ireland's most legendary ceili bands, The Tulla Ceili band, in 1946.

"If you can't play a tune," Paddy has said, "life isn't worth living."

Paddy played with the Tulla Ceili Band for two decades. During that time, he became a bit of a superstar, travelling to Dublin to make live performances on Radio Eireann, recording 78 rpms (only a few of which are available today, most unfortunately), appearing on R.T.E. television in the 60's, and winning the senior All-Ireland fiddle championship in 1953. The irony of it all is that Paddy is notoriously shy, and even more humble. A true gentleman, he would reluctantly step into the limelight, but never muscled his way there. He didn't have to, what with passion, sincerity, and fiddle chops speaking for him.

Like his father before him, Paddy was a farmer by trade. Often his passion and vocation fought for airtime. As a boy, his meadow practice sessions would get in the way of work on the farm; as a man, so would life on the road. Eventually he would leave the Tulla Ceili Band, citing "too much travelling" as one reason. "The cows had to be milked twice daily -- that cut out the music." Today he lives on the same farm and in the same house where he first learned music as a boy, with his wife Philomena Hayes (sister of P.J.). He continues to play music, at the age of 83. He is a quintessential example of what we call a "living legend". Paddy passed away on 29th June '08 --may he rest in peace .

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Canny
• Tulla
• Miltown
• Traditional
• Jigs
• Fiddle
• Violin
• IrishMusic
• Clare
• yt:stretch=16:9

[clarebannerman]

Paddy Canny passed away today 29th June '08. Rest In Peace Paddy.

[redhairedlad]

Wow! You have the best posts of anyone on the Tube. As a subscriber, I can't wait to see what comes out next. This one's the best -- to see the embodiment of East Clare fiddling 'having a go' with the great Frankie Gavin. Thanks!

[clarebannerman]

You can see how Martin Hayes picked up that lovely style of playing.  One of the first long playing records of Irish Trad. was one recorded by Paddy Canny & P J Hayes (Martin's father).

Up the banner!

[pastore0506]

How much poorer this world would be without characters like Paddy.

George

[hansjohnson]

UPPPPP the Bannerman, Clare Minister of Culture!

[DefeatedElitist]

Absolutely fantastic. To play that well, at his age... this generation really needs to take notes. Masterful.

[bzhbreizh]

@hansjohnson Lol. I vote for Clare. :D

[DCarnold84]

At 1:40-41 there is a tremendous crash between them that is a great thing.

[MrDustyme]

Rip paddy canny

[Lisnageeragh]

Tuning? / 

[gpoutoux]

Malgré tout les respect que j'ai pour Frankie Gavin, je trouve domage de ne pas laisser jouer Paddy Canny en solo !

Car c'est là qu'on peut apprécier toutes les subtilités de son jeu et peut etre tenter de percer le mystere de son jeu...qui reste encore pour moi un exemple.

Sur cette video, il y a trop de différeces entre les jeux des deux violonistes, qu'ils se nuisent l'un l'autre...A quand des vidéos du maitre en SOLO!!!!

Gilles Poutoux

[SeamusChoilm]

A legend indeed, and one of my absolute favorite fiddlers. It's the great old fiddlers like him that inspired me to learn.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh d'anam, a Phádraig!

If anyone wants to hear some great music, get "An Historic Recording Of Irish Traditional Music from County Clare and East Galway," (originally called "All-Ireland Champions: Violin") featuring Paddy Canny, P.J. Hayes, Peadar Ó Loughlin, and Bridie Lafferty.

[MrEtagllothserf]

Purely mellifluous . Lovely tunes as well.

Thanks, men .

[celticmarine1]

Thanks for uploading this vid clarebannerman. I'm ashamed to say I wasn't familiar with Paddy's playing until now. What lift! Loved it.