James Keane is an
IrishIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
traditional musician and
accordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
player. The Italian
CastagnariCastagnari is an Italian maker of accordions, melodeons and bandoneóns, based in Recanati.-External links:****...
company issued and continues a line of signature instruments called
keanebox in his honor.
James Keane was born in Drimnagh, south
Dublin City in Co Dublin. He reportedly began playing at age six, and lilting since before he could talk. The Keane house in Dublin was a musical landmark on the traditional music scene in the 1950s and 1960s. Keane's mother and father were both fiddle players from musical communities in
County LongfordCounty Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
and
County Clare-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, and would play host to the legendary players who traveled from all over Ireland to perform in the capital city. These guests greatly affected James and his brother
Seán KeaneSeán Keane may refer to:*Seán Keane , fiddle player of The Chieftains*Seán Keane , Irish folk singer; brother of singer Dolores Keane...
, the fiddler with the Chieftains, as did their summer trips to Longford and Clare where they encountered the music at its roots.
By the age of ten, James had become a fixture on the late 1950s Dublin traditional scene regularly performing with
Séamus EnnisSéamus Ennis was an Irish piper, singer and folk-song collector.- Early years :In 1908 James Ennis, Séamus's father, was in a pawn-shop in London. Ennis bought a bag of small pieces of Uilleann pipes. They were made in the early nineteenth century by Coyne of Thomas Street in Dublin. James worked...
,
Leo RowsomeLeo Rowsome was the third generation of an unbroken line of uilleann pipers. He was performer, manufacturer and teacher of the uilleann pipes - the complete master of his instrument...
,
Sonny BroganSonny Brogan was an Irish accordion player from the 1930s to the 1960s, and was one of Ireland's most popular traditional musicians. He was one of the earliest advocates of the two-row B/C button accordion in traditional music, and popularised it the 1950s and 60s...
and Tommy Reck, honing his skills under their guidance. While still in his early teens, James co-founded what would become one of Ireland's most heralded music ensembles, the Castle Céilí Band with
Mick O'ConnorMick O'Connor is from Dublin, Ireland, a flute player and a founding member of the Castle Céilí Band with James Keane and Seán Keane. He is a scholar of Irish traditional music, the subject of a TG4 television production called Sé Mo Laoch, and the patriarch of a musical family that includes Liam...
, his brother and others. The band would go on to win numerous
OireachtasThe Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
competitions, and the All-Ireland Senior Céilí Band competition in
ThurlesThurles is a town situated in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty and is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly...
in 1965.
He won the senior Accordion Championship while still a junior in the
DundalkDundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
open accordion championships in 1964, 1965 and 1966. He won the All-Ireland junior (under 18) Championship at
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in
MullingarMullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
in 1963.
Keane emigrated to the United States where he performed in numerous bands, including the
Ellis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
Céilí Band, which was formed for the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's Centennial Celebration honoring
Lady LibertyLady Liberty may refer to:* Lady Liberty , La mortadella, 1972 French-Italian comedy* "Lady Liberty" , written by Al Jardine and Ron Altbach for the Beach Boys...
in New York Harbor. In 1991, Keane was made Traditionalist of the Year by the Irish Echo, and his album
Sweeter as the Years Roll By was chosen as one of the top twenty traditional albums of the last twenty years by
Irish America magazineIrish America magazine is a bi-monthly periodical that aims to cover topics relevant to the Irish in North America including a range of political, economic, social, and cultural themes. The magazine’s inaugural issue was published in October 1985...
in their anniversary edition.
He is today a founding member of
FingalFingal are an Irish traditional music band, based in the United States. The group was formed in New York in 2006, regularly tours across the United States and Europe, and released their debut album in October 2008 to critical acclaim.- Members :...
, the critically acclaimed group with
Randal BaysRandal Bays is a fiddler, guitarist and composer. The American-born Irish-style fiddle and guitar player first gained international recognition through his recordings and performances with Co. Clare fiddler Martin Hayes in the early 1990s. He began playing music at the age of eight and was...
and
Dáithí SprouleDáithí Sproule is a guitarist and singer of traditional Irish music from Derry, Northern Ireland. His niece is the singer songwriter Claire Sproule.-Biography:...
, he tours regularly, performing music and lecturing in colleges about the history of Irish traditional music. He has been flown back to Ireland on numerous occasions for awards and performances, including a trip to participate when the City of Dublin was deemed a European Capital of Culture by the EU. In 2004 an event to honor Keane was organized by
Luke KellyLuke Kelly was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin, Ireland, notable as a founding member of the band The Dubliners.-Early life:...
's biographer--
Des GeraghtyDesmond "Des" Geraghty is a former Irish politician and trade union leader. He was president of SIPTU from 1999 to 2004. He stood unsuccessfully at the 1984 European Parliament election for the Dublin constituency as a Workers' Party candidate...
--held at Liberty Hall, and attended by dignitaries including
TaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie AhernPatrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
, prime minister of Ireland.
Discography
Solo albums.
- "The Irish Accordion of James Keane" (1972) Rex Heritage Disc 808
- "Roll Away the Reel World" (1980) Green Linnet 1026
- "That's the Spirit" (1994) Green Linnet] 1138
- "Toss the Feathers" (1996) Green Linnet
- "With Friends Like These" (1998) Shanachie 78015
- "Sweeter as the Years Roll By" (1999) Shanachie 78031
- "James Keane & Friends - Live in Dublin" (2002) Lavalla Records LA01
Group albums.
- "Fingal" (2008) New Folk Records 0502
Artist Compilations
- "Live at the Embankment" (1965) Keane accompanied by Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny is an Irish folk musician. Lunny has been at the forefront of the evolution of traditional Irish music for more than thirty-five years and has participated within the renaissance of traditional Irish music in that time period...
- "Sweet and Traditional Music of Ireland" (1971) classic album also featuring Paddy Reynolds]
- "Irish Traditional Instrumental Music" (1997) Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
- "The Rights of Man" (1991) The Concert for Joe Doherty
Joe Doherty is a former volunteer in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who escaped during his 1981 trial for killing a member of the Special Air Service in 1980...
- "Atlantic Wave" (1997)
- "The Boston College Gaelic Roots" (1997) Kells Music
- "The Tocane Concerts" (2000) with Kieran Hanrahan
Kieran Hanrahan is an Irish radio host and musician, born in Ennis, Co. Clare in 1957. He began playing traditional Irish music on the tenor banjo at the age of fourteen, and had won the All-Ireland banjo championship by the time he was eighteen...
Books & CD
- "Menus & Music, the Irish Isle" (1996) arranged and performed by James Keane with Sharon O'Connor, Séamus Egan
Séamus Egan is an Irish musician.-Early days:Séamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania to Irish émigrés Jack and Ann Egan. At the age of three his parents moved the family back home to County Mayo, Ireland....
, Winifred HoranWinifred Horan is an Irish-American fiddler. After classical training, she played with the all-female Celtic music ensemble Cherish the Ladies before becoming an original memberof the Irish traditional music group Solas.-Biography:...
, Sue RichardsSue Richards is a Canadian artist and social entrepreneur living in Guelph, Ontario. Sue moved to Guelph in 1981 to attend the University of Guelph...
(harp)
Session Work
- "Uncommon Bonds" (1984) Mick Moloney
Michael "Mick" Moloney is a traditional Irish musician and scholar. Born in Limerick, County Limerick, he was an important figure on the Dublin folk-song revival in the 1960s. In 1973, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
& Eugene O'Donnell
- "Long Black Veil" (1995) RCA Victor 62702, The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
, Ry CooderRyland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
External links