Jackie Daly with Matt Cranitch, Paul de Grae, Éimhear Flannery, Caoimhe Flannery, Eileen O’Brien, Máire Ní Cheileachair, MC Peter Browne

Jackie Daly

“Fact is, any place Jackie Daly takes out the box to play is a great place for traditional music” All Celtic Music

“I’ll carry on till I’m carried out, and I might be good yet!” Irish Traditional Music Archive

“There’s great satisfaction in hearing your own tunes played” Irish Examiner

Jackie Daly, born 22 June 1945, in Kanturk, North Cork, is a renowned accordion player, widely regarded as one of the finest exponents of the Sliabh Luachra musical tradition. Hailing from a musical family, with his father a melodeon player and his mother a singer, Daly began playing music at age seven, starting with a melodeon after experimenting with a harmonica and tin whistle. His early influences included local fiddler Jim Keeffe, a pupil of the legendary Sliabh Luachra fiddle master Pádraig O’Keeffe, who taught him tunes and the distinctive Sliabh Luachra notation at crossroads dances like those at Knocknacolan, near Kanturk.

Daly’s career took off after he returned to Ireland in the early 1970s from a stint in the Dutch merchant navy, becoming a professional musician. In 1974, he won the All-Ireland Accordion Competition in Listowel, County Kerry, mastering the B/C accordion system for the event but reverting to his preferred C#/D system, which he popularized for its suitability to the bouncy rhythms of Sliabh Luachra’s polkas and slides. His innovative “dry” tuning, with minimal tremolo, allowed the accordion to blend seamlessly with the fiddle, elevating its status as a concert instrument in Irish traditional music.

He gained prominence through collaborations with prominent fiddlers and bands. His 1977 album with Séamus Creagh, ‘Jackie Daly agus Séamus Creagh’, is considered a seminal recording of Sliabh Luachra music, bringing its polkas, slides, and reels to a wider audience. Other notable partnerships include albums with Kevin Burke (‘Eavesdropper’, 1981) and Matt Cranitch (‘The Living Stream’, 2010; ‘Rolling On’, 2014). Daly was a key member of influential bands like De Dannan (1970s–1980s), Patrick Street (1986–2007), Buttons & Bows, and Arcady, contributing to their vibrant recordings and global tours. His work with De Dannan, particularly on albums like ‘The Mist Covered Mountain’, helped redefine the accordion’s role in Irish music.

A talented composer, Daly’s tunes, such as ‘The Joe Burke Polka’ ‘The Fly Fishing Reel’ and ‘The Kanturk Jig’ are featured in The Jackie Daly Collection (2022), a book of over 200 compositions edited by Matt Cranitch. His contributions extend beyond performance, as he has taught extensively and influenced accordion manufacturers like Saltarelle with his technical innovations. Daly’s accolades include the 2005 TG4 Gradam Ceoil Traditional Musician of the Year, a 1987 Kanturk community award, and a 2005 Duhallow award. The New York Times has called him “probably the best accordionist in Ireland”.

Now living in Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Daly, who turned 80 in June this year, remains a celebrated figure for his mastery, wit, and dedication to Sliabh Luachra’s rich musical heritage. His performances, often described as lively and precise, continue to inspire musicians worldwide.

Jackie will be joined at this special concert by Matt Cranitch (fiddle), Paul de Grae (Guitar), Éimhear Flannery (concertina/tin whistle), Caoimhe Flannery (fiddle), Eileen O’Brien (fiddle) and Máire Ní Cheileachair (song) with MC Peter Browne.

Matt Cranitch is renowned at home in Ireland and abroad as an Irish traditional fiddle-player, teacher and recently won the Gradam Ceoil TG4 ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. He is also the author of The Irish Fiddle Book and has performed and recorded in several groups, including Na Filí, Any Old Time and Sliabh Notes. Among his other recordings are Éistigh Seal (LP, 1984) which consists entirely of slow airs, and The Living Stream (2010), and two highly acclaimed recordings with Jackie Daly.

Paul de Grae was born in Dublin in 1953 and has lived in Kerry since 1980. Classically trained on piano from an early age, he wrote and self-published Traditional Irish Guitar in 1989, re-issued in 1996 by Ossian Publications with a companion CD. He is a founder member of the North Kerry Traditional Music Archive and has collaborated on or compiled three tune collections for the Archive.

Éimhear Flannery is a tin whistle and concertina player from Rockchapel in North Cork. She was the winner of the Seán Ó Riada Bonn Óir medal for traditional music in 2014.

Caoimhe Flannery, sister of Éimhear, was taught by renowned fiddler Matt Cranitch. Caoimhe has several All-Ireland titles and won the ‘Fiddler of Dooney’ in 2022.

Eileen O’Brien is the daughter of Paddy O’Brien from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, who was highly regarded as a box player and composer of tunes. Eileen is an All-Ireland champion in both senior fiddle and senior fiddle slow airs. Eileen has recorded three solo albums to date, Newtown Bridge (1999), The Fiddler’s Choice (2005) and Aon le hAon (2012) as a member of The Boruma Trio.

Máire Ní Chéileachair was brought up in Cill na Martra and her parents came from the Múscraí Gaeltacht area, which is renowned for the strength and richness of its living traditions in Irish song, music and language. In 2018, Máire won both Corn Uí Riada, the renowned prize for sean nós singing, as well as the TG4 Gradam Ceoil award for Best Traditional Singer.

Peter Browne is a well-known piper and broadcaster. He commenced playing traditional music at a young age and received tuition in the playing of the uilleann pipes from three of the great players of modern times; Séamus Ennis, Leo Rowsome and Willie Clancy. In his career broadcasting with RTÉ Radio for over 40 years, Peter specialised in traditional music with programmes including The Long Note, Áirneán and The Rolling Wave.