Mickey Finn (Irish fiddler)
Encyclopedia
Mickey Finn was a traditional Irish fiddler. He was fixture in Galway
's traditional music
scene during the 1970s and 1980s, playing with artists such as Mary Coughlan
, Mick Lally
, and Christy Moore
.
in the early 1960s. After his family moved to Ballinrobe
, County Mayo
in 1963, he was taken under the wing of a Christian Brothers School brother
, Brother Forrestal, who trained him the in the fiddle style of Sligo
fiddler Michael Coleman
.
in 1970, Finn played in traditional music sessions, particularly at the Cellar Bar, and became popular for his rock
/traditional
/jazz
fusion
style, never playing a traditional tune exactly the same way twice. In an interview with Kevin McGuire in the Galway Advertiser
, Frankie Gavin told of the Cellar Bar sessions, believing Finn to be an influence on contemporary musicians in Galway.
, who was at that time more noted for his singing than for his acting. Lally was a great singer of comedy songs in the sean-nós style.
Internationally renowned Galway-born blues singer Mary Coughlan
was also a close personal friend of Finn. When she recorded a version of Johnny Mulhern's `Delaney's Back On The Wine' she dedicated the song to him .
Terry Smith to form the group Dicklerfitz with flute
player Mick Treacy, and later, in 1974, with multi-instrumentallist Alec Finn
(no relation). Frankie Gavin (fiddler)
took part in the group's sessions, as did Gerry Carthy, Pete Galligan, Charlie Harris, Johnny (Ringo) McDonagh, Sean Tyrrell, Jerry Mulvihill, and singers Dolores Keane
, Mary Coughlan
and Mary Staunton
; from these sessions, the group De Dannan
was formed. In 1976 Dicklerfitz supported Planxty
in Galway.
has memories of those Galway days. On listening to the Johnny Mulhern song Hard Cases, Moore remarks on his Christy-Chat website how it brought him back to the Cellar Bar days in Galway
. Moore also mentions Finn in his song "Sodom & Begorrah". In August 1987, Moore dedicated "Hard Cases" to Finn, saying that going to Galway would never be the same again without Mickey.
TV film Pair of Shoes (Pâr o Sgidiau), comedy-drama
road movie starring Neil Tobín, James Bartley and David Kelly
. He also appeared in the Bob Quinn
film Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoire (1975). The only known videos of Finn are from these two films.
In March 2008, No Cure for Mickey Finn a biographical radio broadcast on RTE
described his music, personality, and "the symbiotic relationship between traditional music and alcohol".
The program was nominated for the RTE Prix Europa
2008 awards.
; his parents were accomplished piano players, his father Bill being a composer
of tunes. Finn re-arranged one of his father's tunes into an air, later called "Mickey Finn's Air", which was recorded by tin whistler Seán Ryan
for his CD Minstrel's Fancy(1995) and by Alec Finn
on his CD Blue Shamrock (1995).
Finn is survived by his wife Lena Ullman, who plays five-string banjo with the Americana
band Moonshine, daughter Sadie; two brothers, Billy (who plays flute, whistles, and pipes) and Johnny (guitarist and singer/songwriter); and sisters, Elizabeth (singer), Mary (singer) and Jackie (piano player and singer).
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
's traditional music
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
scene during the 1970s and 1980s, playing with artists such as Mary Coughlan
Mary Coughlan (singer)
Mary Coughlan is an Irish jazz and folk singer and actress. She has received great acclamation in her native country, for her emotional and heartfelt jazzy musical renditions.-Background:...
, Mick Lally
Mick Lally
Michael 'Mick' Lally was an Irish stage, film and television actor. He departed from a teaching career for acting during the 1970s...
, and Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
.
Early life
Finn was born in Callan, County Kilkenny. He began learning the fiddleFiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
in the early 1960s. After his family moved to Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe
-Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
in 1963, he was taken under the wing of a Christian Brothers School brother
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
, Brother Forrestal, who trained him the in the fiddle style of Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
fiddler Michael Coleman
Michael Coleman (musician)
-Early years:Michael Coleman was born in Knockgrania, in the rural Killavil district, near Ballymote, County Sligo, Ireland. His father, James Coleman, was from Banada in County Roscommon, and a respected flute player...
.
Career
In GalwayGalway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
in 1970, Finn played in traditional music sessions, particularly at the Cellar Bar, and became popular for his rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/traditional
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
/jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
fusion
Fusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
style, never playing a traditional tune exactly the same way twice. In an interview with Kevin McGuire in the Galway Advertiser
Galway Advertiser
The Galway Advertiser is a free newspaper distributed throughout Galway city and county on Thursdays. It was the first of the regional newspapers under the "Advertiser" banner, which now also includes publications based in Athlone, Kilkenny, Mayo, and Mullingar....
, Frankie Gavin told of the Cellar Bar sessions, believing Finn to be an influence on contemporary musicians in Galway.
Contemporaries
Finn's Cellar Bar sessions also included actor Mick LallyMick Lally
Michael 'Mick' Lally was an Irish stage, film and television actor. He departed from a teaching career for acting during the 1970s...
, who was at that time more noted for his singing than for his acting. Lally was a great singer of comedy songs in the sean-nós style.
Internationally renowned Galway-born blues singer Mary Coughlan
Mary Coughlan (singer)
Mary Coughlan is an Irish jazz and folk singer and actress. She has received great acclamation in her native country, for her emotional and heartfelt jazzy musical renditions.-Background:...
was also a close personal friend of Finn. When she recorded a version of Johnny Mulhern's `Delaney's Back On The Wine' she dedicated the song to him .
Dicklerfitz
In the early 1970s, Finn joined singer and guitaristGuitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Terry Smith to form the group Dicklerfitz with flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
player Mick Treacy, and later, in 1974, with multi-instrumentallist Alec Finn
Alec Finn
Alec Finn is an English-born Irish traditional musician who is famous for his unique style of accompaniment on the bouzouki. He is best known for founding De Dannan with Frankie Gavin, Ringo MacDonagh and Charlie Piggott after a series of music sessions at Tigh Hughes, An Spidéal, Co. Galway in...
(no relation). Frankie Gavin (fiddler)
took part in the group's sessions, as did Gerry Carthy, Pete Galligan, Charlie Harris, Johnny (Ringo) McDonagh, Sean Tyrrell, Jerry Mulvihill, and singers Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the successful group De Dannan, and has since embarked on a very successful solo career, establishing herself as one of the most loved interpreters of Irish song.-Background:Keane was born in a small village...
, Mary Coughlan
Mary Coughlan (singer)
Mary Coughlan is an Irish jazz and folk singer and actress. She has received great acclamation in her native country, for her emotional and heartfelt jazzy musical renditions.-Background:...
and Mary Staunton
Mary Staunton
Mary Staunton, Irish singer and musician.A native of County Mayo, Staunton realised her first, acclaimed, album in 1998. Her second, Circle of Friends, was launched in County Galway in July 2010. She is a singer and accordion player....
; from these sessions, the group De Dannan
De Dannan
De Dannan was an Irish folk music group. They were formed by Frankie Gavin , Alec Finn , Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh and Charlie Piggott as a result of sessions in Hughes's Pub in An Spidéal, County Galway, subsequently inviting Dolores Keane to join the band...
was formed. In 1976 Dicklerfitz supported Planxty
Planxty
Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
in Galway.
Christy Moore
Christy MooreChristy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
has memories of those Galway days. On listening to the Johnny Mulhern song Hard Cases, Moore remarks on his Christy-Chat website how it brought him back to the Cellar Bar days in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
. Moore also mentions Finn in his song "Sodom & Begorrah". In August 1987, Moore dedicated "Hard Cases" to Finn, saying that going to Galway would never be the same again without Mickey.
Media
Finn appeared in the 1985 Welsh-languageWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
TV film Pair of Shoes (Pâr o Sgidiau), comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
road movie starring Neil Tobín, James Bartley and David Kelly
David Kelly (actor)
David Kelly is an Irish actor, who has been in regular film and television work since the 1950s.-Acting career:Playing everything from Beckett to Shakespeare, he has appeared in Theatre, TV and film constantly since 1959...
. He also appeared in the Bob Quinn
Bob Quinn (Irish filmmaker)
Bob Quinn is an Irish filmmaker, writer and photographer.-Selected filmography:* Poitín * The Atlantean Trilogy * Budawanny * The Bishops Story * Atlantean 2: Navigatio...
film Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoire (1975). The only known videos of Finn are from these two films.
In March 2008, No Cure for Mickey Finn a biographical radio broadcast on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
described his music, personality, and "the symbiotic relationship between traditional music and alcohol".
The program was nominated for the RTE Prix Europa
Prix Europa
Prix Europa is the Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. Its open juries sample and select the best television-, radio- and online productions of each year...
2008 awards.
Family
Finn came from a musical familyFamily
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
; his parents were accomplished piano players, his father Bill being a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of tunes. Finn re-arranged one of his father's tunes into an air, later called "Mickey Finn's Air", which was recorded by tin whistler Seán Ryan
Seán Ryan
Seán Ryan is a former Irish Labour Party politician. He was a Teachta Dála for Dublin North from 1989–1997 and 1998–2007....
for his CD Minstrel's Fancy(1995) and by Alec Finn
Alec Finn
Alec Finn is an English-born Irish traditional musician who is famous for his unique style of accompaniment on the bouzouki. He is best known for founding De Dannan with Frankie Gavin, Ringo MacDonagh and Charlie Piggott after a series of music sessions at Tigh Hughes, An Spidéal, Co. Galway in...
on his CD Blue Shamrock (1995).
Finn is survived by his wife Lena Ullman, who plays five-string banjo with the Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
band Moonshine, daughter Sadie; two brothers, Billy (who plays flute, whistles, and pipes) and Johnny (guitarist and singer/songwriter); and sisters, Elizabeth (singer), Mary (singer) and Jackie (piano player and singer).
External links
- No Cure for Mickey Finn, an RTÉRTERTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
documentary