Willie Clancy
Encyclopedia
Willie Clancy was an Irish
uilleann piper
.
Clancy was born into a musical family at Islandbawn near Miltown Malbay
, County Clare
. His parents (Gilbert Clancy and Ellen Killeen) both sang and played concertina
, and his father also played the flute
. Clancy's father had been heavily influenced by local blind piper Garret Barry and passed much of Barry's music and passed it on to Willie.
Willie started playing the whistle
at age 5, and later took up the flute. He first saw a set of pipes in 1936 when he saw Johnny Doran
playing locally. He obtained his first set of pipes two years later. His influences included Leo Rowsome
, Séamus Ennis
, John Potts, and Andy Conroy. Clancy won the Oireachtas
competition in 1947. Unable to earn a living from music he emigrated to London
where he worked as a carpenter.
Clancy married Dóirín Healy in 1962. The Willie Clancy Summer School
was established in his honour in 1973.
He was also the subject of a major television documentary "Cérbh É? Willie Clancy" on TG4, first broadcast in November 2009. In this programme, one of a series in which major figures in contemporary traditional music, profile and pay homage to a master of their craft from a bygone age, Peter Browne traced the life and legacy of Clancy.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
uilleann piper
Uilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
.
Clancy was born into a musical family at Islandbawn near Miltown Malbay
Miltown Malbay
Spanish Point Airfield is an privately owned airfield between Milltown Malbay and Spanish Point. The airfield, located on Sandhill Road in the townland Leagard South, was established by three local pilots in 1991, and the original clubhouse was opened by then Irish Minister for Defense Mr...
, County Clare
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...
. His parents (Gilbert Clancy and Ellen Killeen) both sang and played concertina
Concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
, and his father also played the 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...
. Clancy's father had been heavily influenced by local blind piper Garret Barry and passed much of Barry's music and passed it on to Willie.
Willie started playing the whistle
Tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
at age 5, and later took up the flute. He first saw a set of pipes in 1936 when he saw Johnny Doran
Johnny Doran
Johnny Doran was an Irish uilleann piper.- Life :Johnny Doran was born in 1907 in Rathnew, Co. Wicklow...
playing locally. He obtained his first set of pipes two years later. His influences included Leo Rowsome
Leo Rowsome
Leo 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...
, Séamus Ennis
Séamus Ennis
Séamus 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...
, John Potts, and Andy Conroy. Clancy won the Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The 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...
competition in 1947. Unable to earn a living from music he emigrated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he worked as a carpenter.
Clancy married Dóirín Healy in 1962. The Willie Clancy Summer School
Willie Clancy Summer School
The Willie Clancy Summer School is Ireland's largest traditional music summer school held annually since 1973 in memory of the uilleann piper Willie Clancy. During the week, nearly a thousand students from every part of the world attend daily classes taught by experts in Irish music and dance...
was established in his honour in 1973.
He was also the subject of a major television documentary "Cérbh É? Willie Clancy" on TG4, first broadcast in November 2009. In this programme, one of a series in which major figures in contemporary traditional music, profile and pay homage to a master of their craft from a bygone age, Peter Browne traced the life and legacy of Clancy.
Discography
- Irish Jigs, Reels & Hornpipes (Folkways Records). For details and contents, see http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=1185
- The Minstrel from Clare (Green Linnet). For details and contents, see http://www.irishtune.info/album/WC+1/
- The Pipering of Willie Clancy, Vol. 1 (Claddagh Records). For details and contents, see http://www.irishtune.info/album/WC+2/
- The Pipering of Willie Clancy, Vol. 2 (Claddagh Records). For details and contents, see http://www.irishtune.info/album/WC+3/
- The Drones and the Chanters Vol. 1. For details and contents, see http://www.irishtune.info/album/DC1/