James Kelly ( ga, Séamus Ó Ceallaigh; born 1957) is an Irish

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, collector,

researcher Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

and

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. He is the son of

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

fiddler, John Kelly, and has played with various groups including

Patrick Street Patrick Street is an Irish folk group founded by Kevin Burke (formerly of The Bothy Band) on fiddle, Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty) on mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica and vocals, Jackie Daly (De Dannan) on button accordion, and Arty McGl ...

and

Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guitars ...

. Kelly has been described by

The Journal of Music ''Journal of Music'' (formerly ''Journal of Music in Ireland'', or ''JMI'') is an Irish music magazine founded in 2000. It "has been a critical voice in Traditional and Contemporary musics since 2000". In 2009 it was relaunched as the ''Journal of ...

as "one of the greatest Irish traditional fiddlers alive today" and by Cathy Benton, Professor of Music at

Missouri Baptist University Missouri Baptist University (MBU) is a private Southern Baptist university in Creve Coeur, Missouri. It is one of three universities of the Missouri Baptist Convention. The main campus is located on a 68-acre site near Creve Coeur and Town and ...

, as "one of the top 10 fiddlers in the world".

Early life

Kelly was born into a musical family in

Capel Street Capel Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland. On 20 May 2022, it was made traffic-free, following a campaign by people who wanted to improve the quality of life on the street. It is now the longest traffic-free street in Dublin. History Capel ...

in 1957. His father, John Kelly, was a

and

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

player from

Kilbaha Kilbaha () is a small fishing village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located close to the western end of the Loop Head peninsula on the R487 road. History According to ''Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland 1845'' the village had a population ...

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

. His father was also a founding member, along with

Seán Ó Riada Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971), was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...

, of

Ceoltóirí Chualann Ceoltóirí Chualann (pronounced ) was an Irish traditional band, led by Seán Ó Riada, which included many of the founding members of The Chieftains. Ceoltóirí is the Irish word for musicians, and Cualann is the name of an area just outsid ...

. His mother, Frances Hilliard, was from

Shillelagh A shillelagh ( ; ga, sail éille or , "thonged willow") is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore. Other ...

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

. Together, they had 5 children: Michael, John Jnr, Anthony, Marianne and James, all musicians. Michael, John, Marianne and James played the fiddle and Anthony was a

piper Piper may refer to: People * Piper (given name) * Piper (surname) Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics * Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe * Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe Television * Piper Chapman, lea ...

. When James was 3 years of age, his father began teaching him to play the fiddle. In 1960, his father purchased him a fiddle, made in Alsace-Lorraine in 1812.

Career

Kelly's performing and recording career began in 1971 at the age of 14, with several broadcasts for

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

. At the age of 16, he won first place in the Fiddler of the Year competition and recorded his first album, a fiddle duet with his brother John, titled ''John & James Kelly: Irish Traditional Fiddle Music''. During that time, he joined the group Ceoltóirí Laigheann, that included his father John, Paddy O'Brien,

Mary Bergin Mary Bergin (born ) is an Irish folk musician who is widely acknowledged as one of the great masters of the tin whistle. She plays in both the Irish Traditional and Baroque styles. Biography Mary Bergin was born in Shankill, County Dublin, ...

, and

Paddy Glackin Paddy Glackin (born 5 August 1954) is an Irish fiddler and founding member of the Bothy Band. He is considered one of Ireland's leading traditional fiddle players. Biography Paddy Glackin was born on 5 August 1954 in Clontarf, Dublin. His father ...

. He recorded two albums with this group. The first, ''The Crooked Road'', was a live recording of a 1973 concert held in

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

to support Scoil Náisiúnta Naomh Gobnait, a

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

school in

Dún Chaoin Dunquin ( ) is a Gaeltacht village in west County Kerry, Ireland. Dunquin lies at the most westerly tip of the Dingle Peninsula, overlooking the Blasket Islands. At 10°27'16"W, it is the most westerly settlement of Ireland and of Eurasia, exclu ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

then threatened with closure. The second album, ''The Star Of Munster'', was released in 1975 and has been described by Irish music critic Siobhán Long of ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' as "widely influential". In 1978, Kelly emigrated to the US. He spent the next three years touring the US with Paddy O'Brien and

Dáithí Sproule Dáithí Sproule (born 23 May 1950) is a guitarist and singer of traditional Irish music. He is the grandson of Frank Carney and uncle of singer Claire Sproule. Biography Born and raised in Derry, Northern Ireland, at the age of 18 he moved t ...

as part of a group known as Bowhand and recorded two albums with the

Shanachie Records Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller. It was previously distribu ...

label, ''Is It Yourself'' in 1979 and ''Spring In The Air'' in 1982. In 1982, Kelly joined Irish folk group

and recorded on their '' Words & Music'' album in 1983. That same year, Kelly featured on

Dolores Keane Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the group De Dannan and has since embarked on a solo career. Background Keane was born in a small village called Sylane (near ...

and John Faulkner's album, ''Sail Óg Rua''. Kelly was also part of a quartet with Keane and Faulkner (and accordionist

Jackie Daly Jackie Daly (born 22 June 1945, Kanturk, North Cork, Ireland) is an Irish button accordion and concertina player. He has been a member of a number of prominent Irish traditional-music bands, including De Dannan, Patrick Street, Arcady, and But ...

), known as Kinvara, although they never recorded under such name. In 1985, he recorded with Danny McGinley on his album ''In Our Time''. In 1989, Kelly released his first solo album titled ''Capel Street'', recorded in

Rostrevor Rostrevor () is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Warrenpoint. The Kilbroney River flows through the village and Rostrevor Forest is nearby. ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

and

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Accompanying him on the album were various musicians including Chuck Heymann (

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'' or ''bodhráns'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or othe ...

), Josephine Keegan (

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Arty McGlynn Arty McGlynn (7 August 1944 – 18 December 2019) was an Irish guitarist born in Omagh, County Tyrone. In addition to his solo work, he collaborated with different notable groups such as Patrick Street, Planxty, Four Men and a Dog, De Dannan and ...

(

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

), Noreen O'Donoghue (

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

) and

(

). Kelly was also a member of the group

for a time and in 1990 recorded on their ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' album, featuring their well-known cover of " Music for a Found Harmonium". That same year, Kelly performed with various artists at the Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival, from which a live album was recorded and released in 1991 titled ''My Love Is In America''. In 1995, Kelly recorded ''The Ring Sessions'' album with Zan McLeod. In 1996, Kelly released his second solo album, simply titled ''James Kelly''. This album featured the accompaniment of

Paddy Keenan Paddy Keenan (born 30 January 1950) is an Irish player of the uilleann pipes who first gained fame as a founding member of The Bothy Band. Since that group's dissolution in the late 1970s, Keenan has released a number of solo and collaborati ...

(pipes), Zan McLeod (guitar,

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

), Mark Stone (

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, bodhrán) and Daithí Connaughton (

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

). In 2001, Kelly was awarded the Florida Folk Heritage Award by the Florida Folklife Program in recognition of his "outstanding musicianship". Kelly released a third solo album in 2004, titled ''Melodic Journeys'', which he recorded in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. That same year, Patrick Street's recording of " Music for a Found Harmonium" featured on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

Napoleon Dynamite ''Napoleon Dynamite'' is a 2004 American comedy film produced by Jeremy Coon, Chris Wyatt and Sean Covel, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Jon Heder in the role of the titular character, a nerdy high- ...

. In 2006, he was the recipient of the TG4 Traditional Musician of the Year Award at

Gradam Ceoil TG4 TG4's Gradam Ceoil was set up in 1998 with the purpose of recognising the various musicians and organisations who are significant in the creation of Irish Traditional music and in developing both the music and other musicians in Ireland and arou ...

, Ireland's annual traditional music awards. In addition to his performing career, Kelly has composed over 800 tunes. In 2009, he released his first book of compositions titled ''101 Traditional Irish Dance Tunes Composed by James Kelly, Volume 1''. This collection contains 6

barn dance A barn dance is any kind of dance involving traditional or folk music with traditional dancing, occasionally held in a barn, but, these days, much more likely to be in any suitable building. The term “barn dance” is usually associated w ...

s, 1

Highland Fling The Highland Fling is a solo Highland dance that gained popularity in the early 19th century. The word 'Fling' means literally a movement in dancing. In John Jamieson's 1808 ''Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language'', the Highland Flin ...

, 2

hornpipe The hornpipe is any of several dance forms played and danced in Britain and Ireland and elsewhere from the 16th century until the present day. The earliest references to hornpipes are from England with Hugh Aston's Hornepype of 1522 and others r ...

s, 31 double jigs, 7

slip jigs Slip jig () refers to both a style within Irish music, and the Irish dance to music in slip-jig time. The slip jig is in time, traditionally with accents on 5 of the 9 beats — two pairs of crotchet/quaver (quarter note/eighth note) followed by ...

, 3

polkas Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

, 42

reels A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...

, 5 slides, and 4

strathspeys A strathspey () is a type of dance tune in time, featuring dotted rhythms (both long-short and short-long "Scotch snaps"), which in traditional playing are generally somewhat exaggerated rhythmically. Examples of strathspeys are the songs "The ...

. In 2010, the two albums Kelly recorded with Ceoltóirí Laigheann, ''The Crooked Road'' and ''The Star Of Munster'', were reissued as a

digitally remastered Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...

double CD A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ' ...

under the title ''Cnuas''. Siobhán Long of ''

'' described the albums as "two seminal recordings".

Personal life

Kelly moved to Miami from Dublin in 1984. Since settling there, he met American-born wife, Eve. Together, they had a son, Timothy, and a daughter, Sarah, also a fiddler. Outside of music, Kelly has worked in a gift shop that he and his wife, Eve, owned until 1991. In his early life, James would come on holiday, to his Ancestral home or that of his Mother, in Balisland County Wicklow. It was always an interesting time, when the Kelly's came to our neighbourhood on holiday, it gave us a chance to meet up and play with different friends. It seemed, the summer passed very quickly in those days. Later, when I left my home and joined the Military, I paid many visits to the shop owned and ran by, James's father John, who was a very nice man, in my estimation. I guess that time has moved on and I have moved back to the house where I was actually born in, no hospital for me and it is probably a sign of the times we live in now, all traces, except memories of The Family of James have disappeared from here, with the selling of 3 dwellings, 2 Hilliard and 1 Keogh, those Families were related by a marriage and we have new people living in those houses. Time nor tide, waits for no man or woman. End of my ramblings.

Discography

;Solo albums *''Capel Street'' (1989) *''James Kelly'' (1996) *''Melodic Journeys'' (2004) ;Collaborations *''John & James Kelly'' (with John Kelly) (1974) *''The Ring Sessions'' (with Zan McLeod) (1995) ;With Ceoltóirí Laighean *''The Crooked Road'' (1973) *''The Star of Munster'' (1975) *''Cnuas'' (2010) ;With Bowhand *''Is It Yourself'' (1979) *''Spring In The Air'' (1982) *''Traditional Music of Ireland'' (1995) ;With Planxty *'' Words & Music'' (1983) ;With Patrick Street *''

'' (1990) ;Guest appearances *''Sail Óg Rua'' (by Dolores Keane & John Faulkner) (1983) *''In Our Time'' (by Danny McGinley) (1985) *''Up The Airy Mountain'' (by Sean O'Driscoll) (1988) *''Handprints'' (by Donna Long) (2005) ;Festival albums *''My Love Is In America'' (The Boston College Irish Fiddle Festival) (1991) *''Music In The Meadow'' (Washington Irish Folk Festival,

Wolf Trap A wolf trap (Spanish ''lobera'', Italian ''luparia'') was a chase ending in a pit with trapdoor and stakes used by beaters in hunting wolves in medieval Europe.Towards a History of the Basque Language José Ignacio Hualde, Joseba A. Lakarra, Rob ...

) (1995) *''Gaelic Roots'' (Gaelic Roots Series,

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

) (1996)

Awards and nominations

Florida Folklife Program

, - , align="center" , 2001 , , ''James Kelly'' , , Florida Folk Heritage Award , , , -

Gradam Ceoil TG4 TG4's Gradam Ceoil was set up in 1998 with the purpose of recognising the various musicians and organisations who are significant in the creation of Irish Traditional music and in developing both the music and other musicians in Ireland and arou ...

, - , align="center" , 2006 , , ''James Kelly'' , , Traditional Musician of the Year , , , -

References

External links

* *
Archive material of James Kelly
in the

Irish Traditional Music Archive The Irish Traditional Music Archive (or ITMA; ga, Taisce Cheol Dúchais Éireann), operating as a charity, is a "national reference archive and resource centre for the traditional song, instrumental music and dance of Ireland". Focusing on Irish t ...

(ITMA) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, James 1957 births Living people 20th-century Irish fiddlers 21st-century Irish fiddlers Fiddlers from County Dublin Irish male fiddlers Irish folk musicians Irish folk-song collectors