Longford mourns the passing of fiddle legend Seán Keane

There was great sadness in the south of county Longford with the news of the passing of Seán Keane. Sean was a legend in traditional music circles as the fiddle player in The Chieftains as well as his accomplishments as a performer in his own right.

The 76-year-old died unexpectedly at his home on Sunday morning. The Irish Traditional Music Archive described Mr Keane as “one of the greatest ever exponents of Irish traditional music”.

Seán's mother, Molly, hailed from Newtowncashel and he spent many summers in the county and had close bonds with his extended family.

Born in Drimnagh in county Dublin in 1946 Sean was a member of traditional group Ceoltóirí Chualann, led by Seán Ó Riada, and the Castle Céilí Band before joining The Chieftains.

He joined The Chieftains in 1968, and only recently performed with the remaining members of the group in Ballina for US president Joe Biden during his visit.

Sean's cousin, the immensely talented sean-nós dancer Mairead Casey, spoke of the great fiddle player: “There were a lot of visits growing up,” she told the Leader, “his mother was one of seven children. They all played.”

Mairead said Sean's passing came out of the blue: “It came as such a shock to everyone.”

The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) said of the renowned performer: “He was a beacon for our traditional art. His professional career spanned nearly 60 years and his output was extraordinarily prolific, with The Chieftains, with musical confidantes Matt Molloy, Liam O’Flynn and many others and, strikingly, as an exceptional soloist. His 1975 recording Gusty’s Frolics is an enduring classic of Irish art. It was recorded the day after The Chieftains had performed in the Albert Hall for the first time. His other two solo recordings Seán Keane and Jig It In Style are essential parts of the canon of Irish music.

“The body of breathtakingly brilliant non-commercial recordings in existence in ITMA is equally incredible, franking a very productive and important period in the history of music in Ireland,” the ITMA said of Sean.