Seán Desmond Potts (5 October 1930 – 11 February 2014) was an Irish musician. Born in

The Liberties, Dublin The Liberties ( Irish: ''Na Saoirsí'' or occasionally ''Na Libirtí'') is an area in central Dublin, Ireland, located in the southwest of the inner city. Formed from various areas of special manorial jurisdiction, separate from the main city ...

, he was best known for his

tin whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria ...

playing and his long history with

The Chieftains The Chieftains are 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 wi ...

(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 ( ga, Pádraig Ó Maoldomhnaigh; 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 part ...

, 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 Gael Linn (, "Gael-with-us") is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation focused on the promotion of the Irish language and the arts. The organisation's funding includes government and lottery sources. History Gael Linn was founded in Ma ...

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'' 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 oth ...

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, a ...

. 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 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 ...

's group "Ceoltoirí Chualann". After The Chieftains, Potts did a lot of radio work for RTÉ 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 , ) 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 thei ...

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 Breand ...

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 uillean piper and native of Kiltra, County Wexford, to his uncles

Tommy Potts Tommy Potts (1912–1988) was an Irish fiddle player and composer from Dublin who gained iconic status in traditional Irish music circles for his virtuoso musicianship. Potts' given name is also frequently spelled Tommie. His music has influenc ...

, 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 the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...

, taught music at a convent school in

Dingle, County Kerry Dingle (Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about southwest of Tralee and northwest of Killa ...

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