Breandán Breathnach

Who was Breandán Breathnach?

Breandán Breathnach was an Irish music collector and Uilleann piper.

Breathnach worked as a civil servant with the Department of Education and was responsible for collecting music from around Ireland. By the time of his death he had collected over 7,000 tunes published from 1963. His efforts were responsible for saving numerous tunes and he is generally recognised as a major figure in the preservation and continuation of traditional Irish music. He is best known for his Ceol Rince na hÉireann series. Breathnach published three volumes, in 1963, 1976, and 1985. Two additional volumes based on his work were published in 1996 and 1999.

His daughter Niamh Bhreathnach is a Labour Party politician and a former Minister for Education.