John McKenna (January 6, 1880 – November 26, 1947) was an Irish-American musician originally from Tents,

Tarmon Tarmon () is an electoral division south of Tarbert in County Kerry, Ireland. It is in the municipal district of Listowel, barony of Iraghticonnor and civil parish of Kilnaughtin, and the former rural district of Listowel and dispensary dist ...

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

, midway between

Drumkeeran Drumkeeran () is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland located at the junction of the R280 and R200 roads. It is situated in drumlin hills at the foot of Corry Mountain, just north of Lough Allen. History Throughout at least the 19th and 20th ...

and

Drumshanbo Drumshanbo (, ridge of the old huts) is a small town situated in the heart of County Leitrim, Ireland. Drumshanbo is surrounded by a scenic area of soft rolling hills, woodlands, lakes and the Sliabh an Iarainn and Arigna mountains. It is a well ...

. The area is a scenic mountainous area overlooking

Lough Allen Lough Allen () is a lake on the River Shannon in northeastern Connacht, Ireland. Most of the lake is in County Leitrim, with a smaller part in County Roscommon. The lake lies to the south of the River Shannon's source, near the Iron Mountains, ...

and the surrounding countryside.

Life and music

As a young man McKenna worked in the Arigna Collieries. He married local nurse Mary Jane Keaveney on 13 September 1909 in Brigid’s Church, Drumkeeran. The young couple emigrated to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

following their marriage and settled in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, having arrived on 3 October 1909. The couple went on to have nine children, six of whom survived. John McKenna took up employment with the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

in July 1920, but after the premature death of his wife, McKenna left his employment in 1926 to care for his young family. McKenna’s recording career spanned from 1921 to 1937. He recorded with New Republic, O'Byrne De Witt, Columbia and

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, amongst others. John McKenna was responsible for reintroducing Leitrim tunes such as "Lucky in Love", "The Sailor and the Rock" and the "Happy Days of Youth". His legacy of recordings made him one of the most influential flute players in Irish traditional music – he has influenced

De Dannan De Dannan (originally ''Dé Danann'') is an Irish folk music group. It was formed 1975 by Frankie Gavin ( fiddle), Alec Finn (guitar, bouzouki), Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh (bodhrán) and Charlie Piggott ( banjo) as a result of sessions in Hughe ...

, Frankie Gavin and

Matt Molloy Matt Molloy (born 12 January 1947) is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at nineteen. Considered one of the most brilliant ...

. John McKenna is buried at Calvary Cemetery,

Hawthorne, New York Hawthorne is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the town of Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 4,586 at the 2010 census. History The village was originally known as Hammond's Mill ...

. A monument to McKenna's music legacy was erected in Tarmon in 1980. Shortly afterwards the John McKenna Music Festival was instituted, which takes place every year in Drumkeeran.

Recordings

In 2014 a "definitive" 2-CD collection of McKenna's recordings, re-mastered by Harry Bradshaw, which includes an illustrated book containing a full account of his life and times, was released by The John McKenna Society.

References

External links

John McKenna Traditional Irish Music Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mckenna, John Irish flautists 1947 deaths 1880 births Musicians from County Leitrim Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)

Life and music

Recordings

See also

References

External links