Garret Barry (piper)

Garret Barry (Irish: Gearóid de Barra (1847 - 1899) was a blind Irish Uilleann piper from Inagh, County Clare, among the most famous players of the 19th century.[1]

Barry was born in 1847, during the Great Famine, and malnutrition and smallpox caused him to lose his sight as a young child. A common form of charity for the disabled, Barry was taught the Uilleann pipes, giving him a livelihood and a place within the community. As a bearer of the piping tradition Barry was a popular and respected musician and he traveled throughout western Ireland to play at house dances.[2]

He inspired many later pipers such as Willie Clancy (whose father knew Barry) and Johnny Doran. He wrote many tunes that are still in the repertoire of players of Irish traditional music such as "Garret Barry's jig", The Humours of Glen, and "I buried my wife and danced on top of her".[2][3][4]

See also

References

  1. Davy Spillane, Tommy Walsh. 2011. The Davy Spillane Uilleann Pipe Tutor, Book 1 Mel Bay Publications, Mar 31, 2011 p. 20
  2. 1 2 Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin (1998). A pocket history of Irish traditional music. O'Brien Press. p. 83.
  3. Munnelly, Tom (1998). "Junior Crehan of Bonavilla". Béaloideas. An Cumann Le Béaloideas Éireann/The Folklore of Ireland Society. Iml. 66: 59–161. JSTOR 20522496.
  4. Browne, Peter (1998). "Tunes of the Munster Pipers". Béaloideas. An Cumann Le Béaloideas Éireann/The Folklore of Ireland Society. Iml. 66: 298–303. JSTOR 20522523.
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