Patrick "Pecker" Dunne (1 April 1933 – 19 December 2012[1]) was an Irish musician and seanchaí.

Pecker Dunne
Birth namePatrick Dunne
Born(1933-04-01)1 April 1933
Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland
Died19 December 2012(2012-12-19) (aged 79)
Killimer, County Clare, Ireland
GenresFolk, traditional Irish
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, banjo, fiddle, melodeon, guitar, mandolin
Years active1942–2012

Dunne was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, "in the old county home".[2] His family were Irish Travellers originally from County Wexford, where his father was a fiddle player.[3] In Parley-poet and Chanter, an autobiography transcribed by Micheál Ó hAodha (page 21), he stated that he later lived in the Dublin suburb of Drimnagh. He was one of Ireland's most noted banjo players and was also proficient on the fiddle, melodeon and guitar, and was among an elite of Traveller musicians.[4]

Dunne became known to a wide Irish audience from his regular busking at GAA sporting fixtures, particularly in Munster. Later he played in England, France, Australia and New York City, where he appeared with The Dubliners. He also performed alongside Richard Harris and Stephen Rea in the 1996 feature film Trojan Eddie.[3][5]

He lived in Killimer, County Clare with his wife and four children. He died there on 19 December 2012, aged 79, and is buried in Burrane, near Killimer.[3][4][5][6][7]

Recordings

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  • Ireland's own Pecker Dunne - the Tinkerman. 1987 (re-released on CD (Paddyland PLMCD) in 2001)
  • Travellin' People from Ireland. Margaret Barry & Pecker Dunne
  • Very Best of Ireland's Legendary Street Singer

References

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  • Parley-Poet and Chanter: An Autobiography, Volume 1, (2004), by Pecker Dunne & Micheál Ó hAodha, ISBN 978-1-899047-13-0
  1. ^ "Musician Paddy Pecker Dunne dies". Belfasttelegraph. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Folk musician 'Pecker' Dunne has died". RTÉ News. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "The Pecker Dunne". Ramblinghouse. March 2008. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  4. ^ a b Carty, Ed (21 December 2012). "Leading Traveller musician and singer-songwriter Patrick (Pecker) Dunne has died, aged 79, in Killimer, Co Clare". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Pecker Dunne passes away". Clare FM. 20 December 2012.
  6. ^ Deegan, Gordon (24 December 2012). "'Pecker' Dunne laid to rest in Clare". Irish Times. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  7. ^ "The Pecker" Dunne: The Last of the Traveling People
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