PADDY
OWENS (1912-2001) FIDDLE PLAYER.
Paddy Owens was
born on 22nd July, 1912 in Aughrim, near Hillstreet which is midway
between Elphin, Co. Roscommon and Carrick-on-Shannon. Co. Leitrim.
His father was Patrick Owens, from the other side of Elphin, and
his mother was Bridget McKeon. His parents were living in his
mother's home place and were farming for a living.
Paddy's mother was a traditional singer, and his earliest memories
are of his mother singing in the home. Paddy could best describe
her singing as very like the Kane sisters, Rita and Sara, from
Caherlistrane, Co. Galway.
Paddy went to the local Aughrim school. He picked up his mother's
interest in music and first started to play a three quarter flute.
He was self taught, learning by ear. The small flute was stolen
from him, and Paddy then turned to the fiddle at the age of seventeen
years. There was a fiddle player in the locality, Paddy McDonagh,
who was a great character and also taught the fiddle. He taught
Paddy Owens and Mick Byrne, to play and Paddy would then learn
the tunes from Mick. There was relatively little music in Paddy's
own neighbourhood, and he can only remember two or three players
in his parish from his youth. Music was played mostly at country
house dances. Paddy recalls when the records of Coleman, Morrison
and McKenna became available in the 1930's as a musical milestone.
He says it was like 'new music' to them and they heard it on the
gramophones.
Paddy and his friend Mick Byrne, travelled to Athlone in 1951,
to a Fleadh. There they met an official from Comhaltas Ceoltoiri
Eireann and the two of them joined. They, then started the first
branch of C.C.E. in Roscommon. They ran two very successful county
Fleadhs in Elphin, in the 1950's. They also ran a couple of concerts
in Elphin and one in Strokestown. At the first concert in Elphin
where Ciaran Kelly, a box player from Athlone, was appearing,
they had an audience of eight hundred people. Sean Ryan on fiddle
played at the following concert in Elphin and Paddy Carty, the
great flute player from East Galway, played at Strokestown.
Over his years playing. Paddy recalls meeting and playing with
Leo Rowsome, Des O'Connor, Paddy Ban O'Broin, Tom Mulligan, Barney
McKenna. Fred Finn and Peter Horan. Amongst his favourite fiddle
players he listed Paddy Canny, Sean Ryan, Brendan McGlinchey,
and Seamus Connolly.
Paddy made a record in Dublin which cost him one pound. The record
was sent to his sister in America, but, unfortunately was not
preserved. He was recorded in Strokestown by Ciaran MacMathuna
and he played 'The Pigeon on the Gate' almost like Coleman. Paddy
has only been out of Ireland once, when he visited his sister
in America. He played on the aeroplane travelling to the states.
The music continues in the Owens family, and two of Paddy's sons
play. Jim who lives locally plays the box, and another son, in
Athlone, plays the Bouzouki. Paddy's own enthusiasm for music
is as good as ever, although he describes the 'modern music' as
not his music. Paddy was taped playing what he describes as a
version of Creggs Pipes. It is in a most unusual tuning which
Paddy called 'Italian tuning'. He got the tune from Mick Beirne
who in turn got it from Paddy McDonagh.
Paddy Owens died on January 17th, 2001, aged 89 years.
