Seán Desmond Potts (5 October 1930 – 11 February 2014) was an Irish musician. Born in The Liberties, Dublin, he was best known for his

tin whistle The tin whistle, also known as the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, a class of instrument which also includes the recorder and Native American flute. A tin whistle player is called a whistl ...

playing and his long history with

The Chieftains The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...

(from 1962 to 1979).

With The Chieftains

Potts was a founding member of The Chieftains. He was great friends with fellow band member and whistle player

Paddy Moloney Paddy Moloney (; 1 August 1938 – 12 October 2021) was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was particularly associated with the re ...

, and they often went around Dublin playing in sessions and gigging during the 1950s. In November 1962, Potts helped form The Chieftains. He briefly left the group in 1968 for a contract with Gael-Linn Records but returned to play for the band soon after. He was primarily a whistle player, although he also played the

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'') 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 (material), goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or ot ...

and

bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

. He played with the band until 1979, when the pressures of the music scene (and touring) prompted him to leave the band for an easier life.

Other bands

Before

, Potts was an original member of Seán Ó Riada's group "Ceoltoirí Chualann". After The Chieftains, Potts did a lot of radio work for

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

and founded Bakerswell, with whom he undertook several fund-raising tours for NPU in the United States. In 1972, while still with The Chieftains, Potts and Paddy Moloney, along with Peadar Mercier (another Chieftains member) recorded an album called ''Tin Whistles'' where both Potts and Moloney played tin whistle tunes accompanied by a bodhrán. Potts also played the bodhrán and bones, and attempted to learn the

uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ), also known as Union pipes and sometimes called Irish pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the ...

but admitted he never felt quite comfortable with the instrument and, after a few years at the pipes, he gave up and went back to the whistle.

Later life

After Potts retired from the traditional scene, he could still be found playing at traditional festivals around the country and occasionally abroad. He served as chairman and Honorary President of

Na Píobairí Uilleann Na Píobairí Uilleann (; meaning "The Uilleann Pipers") is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the Irish Uilleann pipes and its music. Organisation NPU was founded in 1968 under the impetus of researcher and collector Brean ...

in Dublin. He died at age 83 on 11 February 2014.''Irish Independent'' obituary
accessed 12 February 2014.

Personal life

Seán and his wife Bernadette (who wed in 1960) had four children. Potts' family was filled with musicians. From his grandfather, John Potts, an accomplished uilleann piper and native of Kiltra,

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

, to his uncles Tommy Potts, a fiddler, and Eddie Potts, a piper, fiddler and saxophonist. His aunt Teresa was an accordionist and pianist in the 1950s. Another aunt, originally named Mary, who became Sister Kevin of the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The sisters of the congregation use th ...

, taught music at a convent school in Dingle, County Kerry.

References

External links

*
Webpage on The Chieftains fansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potts, Sean 1930 births 2014 deaths Irish tin whistle players Musicians from County Dublin Place of death missing The Chieftains members Ceoltóirí Chualann members