Seán Reid (1907–1978) was an Irish musician known as a player of the

Uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from their ...

, for promoting the

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 ...

style of piping, and for being the leader of the

Tulla Céilí Band Tulla () is a market town in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated in the east of the county, on the R462 and near its junction with the R352, 18km from Ennis. Etymology Tulla is generally translated as ''An Tulach'', meaning "round hill". ...

in the late 1940s.

Biography

He was born in

Castlefin Castlefin (), sometimes spelt Castlefinn, is a market town and townland in the Finn Valley of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. It is located between Ballybofey and Lifford in East Donegal and, , t ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. Growing up in

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

he learned to play the fiddle. While studying engineering he heard the playing of piper R. L. O'Mealy from Belfast at an athletics meeting (in which he was a member of the Q.U.B. in the mile event) in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, and he decided to take up that instrument. After moving to

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 ...

in the early 1930s he became involved with the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

. Together with Seamus Mac Mathuna and pipers

Breandán Breathnach Breandán Breathnach (1 April 1912 – 6 November 1985) was an Irish music collector and uilleann piper. In addition to collecting Irish music, he is known for his ''Ceol Rince na hÉireann'' (Dance Music of Ireland) series. Life Breathnach gr ...

and

Tommy Reck Thomas "Tommy" Joseph Reck (8 November 1921 - 1991) was an Irish Uilleann pipes, uilleann piper, known for his discography of traditional Irish music. Born in the The Liberties, Dublin, Liberties area of Dublin, Reck learned to play the uilleann pi ...

he set about reviving the Piper's club, which had not functioned for a number of years. Studying with John Potts (grandfather of

Seán Potts 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 playing and his long history with The Chieftains (from 1962 to 1979). With The Chieftains Potts ...

), one of Ireland's greatest pipers at the time, he came into contact with other famous pipers such as

Leo Rowsome Leo Rowsome (5 April 1903 - 20 September 1970) was the third generation of an unbroken line of uilleann pipers. He was a performer, manufacturer and teacher of the uilleann pipes throughout his life. Samuel Rowsome, Leo’s grandfather sent hi ...

and

Johnny Doran Johnny Doran (1908 – 19 January 1950)Sleeve notes compiled by Jackie Small and published with ''The Bunch of Keys'' audio tape, Comhairle Bhéaloideas Éireann (CBÉ 001), 1988 was an Irish uilleann piper. Life and family Johnny Doran was bo ...

. In 1936 Seán Reid moved to County Clare where he worked as County Surveyor (civil engineer) in charge of sewage and drainage. Working for

Clare County Council Clare County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae an Chláir) is the authority responsible for local government in County Clare, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...

he made the acquaintance of Crusheen man, fiddle player Mick Malone and Inagh man, Joe Leyden. Joe was the County Council clerk of works for the county and through him Seán Reid got to know every active traditional musician in the county. Through the travelling piper, Johnny Doran, he got to know of pipers Willie Clancy and

Martin Talty Martin Talty (Glendine, Milltown Malbay, 10 November 1920 - 16 March 1983 was an Irish uilleann pipes and flute player. Talty started playing the tin whistle, later progressing to the flute. It was under the influence of Johnny Doran (who was pl ...

. He promoted the revival of piping in Clare, bringing a group of Clare pipers to compete in the

Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...

gathering annually in the 1940s and 1950s. In the late 1940s he played in the Tulla Céilí Band with

Joe Cooley Joe Cooley (1924–20 December 1973) was an Irish musician known for his traditional accordion music. Biography Cooley was born in Peterswell, County Galway in 1924. Both his parents were melodeon players, and Joe began playing accordio ...

, before Cooley went to the United States. From 1950 until the formation of the Pipers Club he worked to promote the

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (; meaning "Society of the musicians of Ireland") is the primary Irish organisation dedicated to the promotion of the music, song, dance and the language of Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1951 and has pr ...

(CCE) in county Clare and Munster. After many years of waiting for CCE to devote a greater effort to reviving the uilleann pipes he, and a small group of like minded pipers decided that it was "now or never" and so proceeded, much to the annoyance of CCE, to formally set up the Pipers Club in Dublin, an organisation that would foster and promote the uilleann pipes to ensure it would survive. In 1998 the Sean Reid society was founded to promote Uillean pipe scholarship.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Sean 1907 births 1978 deaths Irish uilleann pipers Musicians from County Donegal Irish folk musicians