Terence "Cuz" Teahan (1905–1989) was a notable traditional Irish musician and composer from the

Sliabh Luachra Sliabh Luachra (), sometimes anglicised Slieve Logher, is an upland region in Munster, Ireland. It is on the borders of counties Cork, Kerry and Limerick, and bounded to the south by the River Blackwater. It includes the Mullaghareirk Mounta ...

district. He played concertina, accordion and fiddle and composed songs and dance tunes.

Life

Teahan was born in 1905 at Glountane in southern

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 ...

, Ireland. His father died when he was very young. His mother was a popular singer, while his extended family contained many musicians who played at dances in the neighbourhood. His brother Patrick had some poetry published in local newspapers. Among his neighbours were eminent musicians

Padraig O'Keeffe Pádraig O'Keeffe (''Irish: Pádraig Ó Caoimh'') (1887 – 1963) was a noted Irish traditional musician. O'Keeffe was born in Glountane Cross (in the townland of Knockdown), Cordal, Castleisland, the eldest of eight children from a musi ...

, who taught him music at Glountane School, and

Johnny O'Leary Johnny O'Leary (6 June 1923 – 9 February 2004) was a noted Irish traditional musician from Sliabh Luachra who played the button accordion. Life O'Leary was born in Maulykeavane, which is about halfway between Killarney and Ballydesmond, in ...

. O'Keeffe's father, Seán, and sister Nora Carmody also taught him at that school. In 1928 he emigrated to the United States and settled in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Over the next few years, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, he returned to Ireland, but set off again for Chicago in 1933. He started work with the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

in 1936 and remained with them until he retired in 1970. From 1943 to 1964 he played

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 ...

and

button accordion A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons. This differs from the piano accordion, which has piano-style keys. Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs categorize it as a free reed aerop ...

three nights a week at the major Irish dance-halls in Chicago, as well as at weddings and cultural events. During this time he also toured with Roche's School of Dancing. In the 1970s he performed with Mary McDonagh (piano), Maida Sugrue (vocals) and Una McGlwe (fiddle). In 1978, in recognition of his special contributions, he was voted Irishman of the Year by the Harp and Shamrock club, Chicago. After he retired from Illinois Central he played in Chicago with the Dayhills Irish Band. He received the nickname "Cuz" because he helped out newly arrived Irishmen by telling them where to find accommodation, work, etc. He would say: "Tell them I'm your cousin".

Discography

* ''Terry Teahan and Gene Kelly: Old Time Irish Music In America'', 1977, Topic 12TS352 * ''Irish Traditional Instrumental Music From Chicago, Volume 2'', 1978, Rounder 6006 tracks* ''Cuz – A Tribute to Terry 'Cuz' Teahan by Niamh Ní Charra'', 2013, Imeartas Records IMCD004. Includes special guests Seamus Begley,

Liz Carroll Liz Carroll (born September 19, 1956) is an American fiddler and composer. She is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship Award. Carroll and collaborator Irish guitarist John Doyle were nominated for a Gr ...

Mick Moloney Michael Moloney (15 November 1944 – 27 July 2022) was an Irish-born American musician and scholar. He was the artistic director of several major arts tours and co-founded Green Fields of America. Early life Moloney was born in Limerick, Ire ...

, Donal Murphy and Tommy O'Sullivan

References

1905 births 1989 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States Concertina players Irish fiddlers Musicians from County Kerry 20th-century accordionists 20th-century American violinists {{Ireland-musician-stub