Événement

Paddy Keenan & Kevin Buckley (with opening set by The Wee Heavies)

If any Irish musicians merit the term Legendary, then Uilleann piper, Paddy Keenan would appear high on the application list!

Paddy Keenan was a founding member of the unsurpassable Bothy Band, the Irish group that did so much to bring about a resurgence in traditional Irish and other Celtic music in the 1970s. The Bothy Band forever changed the face of Irish traditional music, merging a driving rhythm section with traditional Irish tunes in ways that had never been heard before. Each of the members of that group went on to make huge contributions to live and recorded Celtic music, and Paddy is no exception. Over the years, he has combined with an all-star list of musicians, touring the world and continuing to forge new alliances with other genres, yet remaining in touch with his Irish traditional roots.

Paddys instrument is the uilleann pipes, the national bagpipe of Ireland, in which the air supplied to the instrument comes solely from bellows worked by the arm, not from blowing through a mouthpiece. He was twice voted top uilleann piper by the Irish Music Association and is recipient of a 2011 Irish Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Paddy is a longtime, dear friend of the Focal Point. Though technically retired and not touring, Paddy is a born and raised traveler and still ventures out from time to time to visit the places he likes best and play for the audiences he likes best. We are infinitely honored that he has chosen St. Louis as a favorite place and The Focal Point as a favorite audience!

In recent years Paddy has traveled to St. Louis without accompaniment. Instead, drawing on our bottomless wealth of expert local musicians (Eileen Gannon, Dave Black and Willem Von Hombracht) to join him on stage. This year is no exception. Paddy will be joined by St. Louis own traditional and contemporary fiddle/guitar virtuoso, Kevin Buckley!