Barney McKenna R.I.P.

[JAJ]

Lots of tributes elsewhere but the man hasn't been mentioned here yet.

This is really sad news. Barney was great guy and an absolute legend. His work inspired many a young tenor banjo player and was responsible for popularising the use of the GDAE tuning in Irish Music.

Here's a classic clip from the old days. You'll remember Luke and Ciaran too and John and Ronnie are also featured, of course..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SmWUMJRI...re=related

Further
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/brea...ing35.html
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBNOVhWo5...r_embedded

Without Barney, you probably wouldn't have had your Gerry O'Connors, Eamon Coynes, and your Mick Moloneys.
Maybe not even your JAJ's or Nigel Gatherers.


Also, let's not forget, he was a pretty good mandolin player too.

[Ptarmigan]

Aye, Barney was the reason I first got the notion to have a go at playing Trad Music & I'm quite sure I'm not the only person who is playing Irish Trad now, thanks to him.

The first time I saw the Dubliners in concert, was with the original line up on stage, in the old Cinema in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, back in 1971 & I was just knocked out by his solo that night.

I was also very impressed with his whole attitude to the music.
I saw him in a big high powered session in London, back in 1980, when he was amongst some of Ireland's finest musicians, including two other very fine banjo players, Charlie Piggott & John Carty & instead of competing, he quite happily proceeded to play backing chords to their playing ... & boysadear did he know his way around the whole neck of a Banjo.

Of course, he had absolutely nothing to prove.

He will be sadly missed ..... & never forgotten.

Cheers,
Dick