Paddy O’Brien  Tune Collection Detailed Biography

Paddy O’Brien - Curriculum Vitae BORN September 13, 1945  Castlebarnagh, Daingean, County Offaly, Ireland  AWARDS 1969 Oireachtas Competition   sponsored by the Gaelic League    First Place—Solo Accordion    First Place—Ceili Band (with Castle Ceili Band)  1970 Oireachtas Competition   First Place—Solo Accordion  1970 Fleadh Cheoil (All-Ireland)   sponsored by Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann    First Place—Trio with Joe Ryan, Micheál Ó hAlmhain  1973 Oireachtas Competition   First Place—Solo Accordion  1975 Fleadh Cheoil (All-Ireland)    First Place—Senior Accordion Championship  1977 Oireachtas Competition   First Place—Solo Accordion    First Place—Duet with Joe Ryan  1989 Minnesota State Arts Board   Master Artist—Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant  1993 Minnesota State Arts Board   Master Artist—Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant  1994 National Endowment for the Arts   Folk Arts Project Grant to record 500 reels and jigs for Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection 1996 Minnesota State Arts Board   Master Artist—Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant  1998 Minnesota State Arts Board   Master Artist—Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant 2005 Irish Fair of Minnesota    Legacy Fund Grant to begin recording 500 tunes for Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection, Volume Two 2006 Bush Artist Fellowship    Folk Arts Fellowship 2008 Minnesota State Arts Board    Artist Initiative Grant PUBLICATIONS Chosen to illustrate certain types of dance music for Folk Music and Dances of Ireland by Breandán Breathnach (Mercier Press), a work now on the course for second and third level colleges and schools in Ireland. Over twenty notations of Paddy O’Brien’s music also appear in Breandán Breathnach’s Ceol Rince na hEireann, Nos. 2 and 3, published by the government of Ireland.  Published two poems, tributes to legendary musicians Seamus Ennis and Willie Clancy, in the 1993 edition of Dal gCais, The Journal of Clare, and the official program for the Willie Clancy Summer School.  BANDS 1966-69 Ballinamere Céilí Band with Peter Kilroe, Dan Cleary, Sean Monaghan, Sean Conlan, and Michael Lynam  1968 Seán Ryan Trio with Seán and Kathleen Ryan  1969-78 Castle Céilí Band with Michael O’Connor, John Kelly, Sean Keane, Michael Tubridy, Joe Ryan, John Dwyer, Bridie Lafferty and Benny Carey  1971-78 Ceoltoiri Laighean with Éamon de Buitléar, John Kelly, James Kelly, Paddy Glackin, Peter Phelan, Mary Bergin, Mícheál Ó hAlmhain, and Aileen McCrann  1978-82 Bowhand with James Kelly and Dáithí Sproule  (also Terry O’Reilly and Bernie McDonald)  1983-84 Hill 16 with Seán O’Driscoll and Tom Dahill  1995-present Chulrua with Patrick Ourceau and Pat Egan  (previously with Tim Britton and Michael Cooney) 2003-present  The Doon Céilí Band with Django Amerson, Nathan Gourley, Laura MacKenzie, Brian Miller, Norah Rendell (previously with Kate and Jode Dowling) RECORDINGS   YEAR ARTISTS TITLE LABEL 1970 Castle Ceili Band Irish Pub Music Arfolk SB 314 1971 Castle Ceili Band Castle Ceili Band Comhaltas 1973 Ceoltoiri Laighean The Crooked Road Gael-Linn 1975 Ceoltoiri Laighean The Star of Munster Gael-Linn CEF.047 1978 Paddy O’Brien, James Kelly, Daithi Sproule Is It Yourself? Shanachie 29015 1982 Paddy O’Brien, James Kelly, Daithi Sproule Spring in the Air Shanachie 29018 1984 Hill 16 Hill 16 Meadowlark101 1988 Solo accordion Stranger at the Gate Green Linnet GLCD 1091 1988 Accordion anthology The Big Squeeze Green Linnet 9014  1988 Peter Ostroushko Blue Mesa Red House - Guest artist 1988 Seán O'Driscoll Up the Airy Mountain Green Linnet - Guest artist 1995 Solo Accordion Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection Library of Congress Card Catalog Number 95-92420 1995 Kelly/O’Brien/Sproule Traditional Music of Ireland Shanachie 34014 1996 Concert anthology Gaelic Roots Festival 1995 Boston College 2000 Kelly/O'Brien/Sproule Traditional Music of Ireland (Is It Yourself? / Spring in the Air re-released as a single CD) Shanachie 34014 2000 Chulrua Barefoot on the Altar Pied Piper PPP 301 2003 Chulrua Down the Back Lane Shanachie 22001 2004 Paddy O'Brien, Jamie Gans, Daithi Sproule Snug in the Blanket Black Tea Tunes BTT012 2005 Accordion anthology Minnesota All Stars Rounder 82161-6110-2 2006 The Doon Céilí Band Around the World for Sport Shanachie 23001 2006 Chulrua The Singing Kettle Shanachie 23002 RADIO & TELEVISION APPEARANCES Ireland 1964        Beirt Eile - RTÉ 1967        Bring Down the Lamp - RTÉ 1969-71   Glen to Glen - UTV 1973-75   Ceoltoiri Laighean TV specials - RTÉ                Comhaltas radio programs - RTÉ                Bring Down the Lamp - RTÉ                Raidió na Gaeltachta 1975        Ceili House - RTÉ 1977        Irish language radio play - RTÉ 1992        The Pure Drop - RTÉ 2004        The Late Session – RTÉ, Irish National Radio 2007        Lán a' Mhála, RTÉ / Raidió na Gaeltachta 2008        Special Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann programme, RTÉ Europe 1973-75 Ceoltoiri Laighean - French National Television  Ceoltoiri Laighean in concert - German National Television  U.S.A. 1978  A Prairie Home Companion - Minnesota Public Radio  1979  A Prairie Home Companion - National Public Radio  1981  The Lark in the Morning - Missouri Public Radio  1982  A Prairie Home Companion - National Public Radio  1985  Banish Misfortune - Berkeley, California  1985  A Prairie Home Companion - National Public Radio  1986  Last Night's Fun - Fresh Air Radio, Minneapolis  1988  The Mountain Stage - National Public Radio  1989  SD Centennial Folk Festival - South Dakota Public Radio  1992  On the Pig's Back - KUBN/Portland, Oregon  1992  The Irish Hour - Saint Louis Community Radio  1993  River City Folk - National Public Radio  1994  Midmorning - Minnesota Public Radio  1995  Midmorning - Minnesota Public Radio  1995  All Things Considered - Minnesota Public Radio 2004  The Front Row - KUHF, Houston (TX) Public Radio 2004  Celtic Heartland – KZUM, Lincoln NE 2005  Century Song – KFAI, Minneapolis MN 2006  Mist Covered Mountain – Roseburg OR 2006  The Celtic Hour – KBOO Radio, Portland OR SELECTED CONCERT APPEARANCES Trinity College, Dublin  Focus Theatre, Dublin  Peacock Theatre, Dublin  Abbey Theatre, Dublin  Damer Theatre, Dublin  University College, Cork  University College, Dublin  University of Limerick Masters of Tradition Festival, Bantry, Cork Cork Folk Festival, Cork City Sean O’Riada Memorial Concert, Coolea, Cork  Cork City Folk Festival, Cork  Slattery’s Tradition Club, Dublin  Green Linnet Folk Club, Dublin  The Gaelic League Club, Dublin The Cobblestone, Dublin  Glór Traditional Music Centre, Ennis, Co Clare L’Orient Folk Festival, L’Orient, France  International Folk Festival, Cologne, Germany International Festival of Traditional Arts, Quebec, CANADA International Accordion Festival, Houston, TX U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC  The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC Snug Harbor Irish Festival, Staten Island, NY  Philadelphia Ceili Festival, Philadelphia, PA  Wolf Trap Irish Festival, Washington, DC  Milwaukee Irish Fest, Milwaukee, WI  Irish Fair of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN  South Dakota Centennial Folk Festival, Sioux Falls, SD  San Antonio Irish Feis, San Antonio, TX  North Texas Irish Festival, Austin, TX  Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina, KS  Minnesota Ethnic Days, Chisholm, MN  Cincinnati Celtic Festival, Cincinnati, OH  Gaelic Roots Festival, Boston, MA  Saint Mary’s Basilica IrishFest, Minneapolis, MN  Kentuck Festival of the Arts, Tuscaloosa, AL  Bill Healy Foundation Celtic Music Fest, Portland, OR  Mill City Music Festival, Minneapolis, MN  Minnesota Folk, Saint Paul, MN  Powderhorn Festival of the Arts, Minneapolis, MN  Chautauqua on the River, Saint Paul, MN  Sebastopol Celtic Folk Festival, Sebastopol, CA Houston International Fetsival, Houston, TX Southern Illinois Festival of Irish Music & Dance, Carbondale, IL Willie Clancy Summer School, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare  Irish Week by the Sea, Queen's County, Nova Scotia  The Swannanoa Gathering, Asheville, NC  Center for Popular Music, Murfreesboro, TN  Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL  Saint Olaf College, Northfield, MN  Creighton University, Omaha, NE  Libertyville School of Music, Libertyville, IL  Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA  Loras College, Dubuque, IA University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI Goderich Celtic College, Goderich Ontario Blue Ridge Irish Music School, Harpers Ferry, WV Center for Irish Music, Saint Paul, MN Ancient Order of Hibernians, Grand Rapids, MI  Ancient Order of Hibernians, Dayton, OH  Rose and Thistle Folk Club, Greensboro, NC  Gaelic League Club, Detroit Elkins Country Dance Society, Elkins, WV  Tri-State Folk Music Assn, Fort Wayne, IN  Second Fret Folk Club, Oklahoma City, OK  Irish Heritage Cultural Center, Chicago, IL  Cityfolk, Dayton, OH  The Main Point, Philadelphia, PA  The Focal Point, Saint Louis, MO  The Foolkiller, Kansas City, MO  The Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN  The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI  Charlotte’s Web, Rockford, IL  Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse, Madison, WI  Bunky’s, Madison, WI  Club de Wash, Madison, WI  United Irish Cultural Institute, San Francisco, CA  University of Iowa Friends of Old Time Music, Iowa City, IA  Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Boston  Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Glasgow  Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, London  John D. McGurk’s, Saint Louis, MO  The Eagle Tavern, New York, NY  Holstein’s, Chicago, IL  The Plough and the Stars, San Francisco, CA  Tommy Makem’s Irish Pavilion, New York, NY  Kelly’s Irish Times, Washington, D.C.  The Dubliner, Washington, D.C.  Keneally’s Irish Bar, Houston, TX  Harling’s, Kansas City, MO  The Kells, Portland, OR  Kells Irish Bar, Seattle, WA  Hap’s Bar, Cincinnati, OH  Old Irish Alehouse, Boston, MA  MacCafferty’s Irish Bar, Saint Paul, MN  Kilkenny Castle, Chicago, IL  Dublin Pub, Portland, OR  East Avenue Tavern, Portland, OR  The Mill, Iowa City, IA  The Sanctuary, Iowa City, IA  The Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH  Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem, PA  The Irish Lion, Bloomington, IN  Brittingham’s, Philadelphia, PA  Murphy’s Pub, Seattle, WA  Ireland’s Four Provinces, Washington, D.C.  The Blarney Stone, Saint Louis, MO  Arnold’s Bar, Cincinnati, OH  The Parting Glass, Saratoga Springs, NY  County Cork Pub, Atlanta, GA