"Tributes pour in following death of Paddy Keenan, the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the uilleann pipes’
Born into a renowned musical family, Keenan blazed a trail in the Bothy Band and other outfits
Paddy Keenan was the third generation in his family to take up the uilleann pipes; both his father and grandfather were uilleann pipers.
Thu, 10 Sep, 2026 - 11:05
Breda Graham
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 Irish Examiner 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!”
Paddy Keenan & Tommy O’Sullivan playing together in 1975.
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. …"
