Paddy Conneely

Who was Paddy Conneely?

Paddy Conneely, Irish piper.

Conneely was a blind professional piper, born in Galway. According to Dr. O'Brien-Moran,

"He was probably the first folk musician to have had his engraved likeness adorn the cover of a widely read journal, “The Irish Penny Journal”, in the 1840s. Penny journals were the popular medium of the period. The engraving, based on a watercolour portrait by Frederic William Burton, was accompanied by a three-page article, by George Petrie, on the piper’s life and character. This media exposure resulted in an unprecedented level of national fame for any folk musician and, as a result, Conneely was sought out by patrons, musicians and collectors of Irish music such as piper Lord Rossmore, the Hudson brothers and William Forde."

Collector Henry Hudson collected the greatest number of Conneely's tunes, his music manuscripts are now house in the National Library of Ireland, the Boston Public Library, and the University of Notre Dame's library. Other collectors included Lord Rossmore, James Petrie, William Forde.

Conneely was supported by James Hardiman, who presented Conneely with his pipes, made in the 1820s.

His likeness was made in a pencil sketch by Sir Frederic William Burton.