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Denis O'Leary (1910)

39279
Prof. Denis O'Leary
A Cherished Friend.
Compliments of the Author
Capt. Francis O'Neill
Chicago ... Oct. 5th 1910

This copy is in the collection of University College Cork, Ireland

Biography:
Denis O’Leary (1877–1944) 

As a skilled piper, Denis O’Leary was an advocate for the revitalization of piping in Ireland, following its increased disuse throughout the second half of the nineteenth century.  O’Leary was born in 1877 in Cúl Aodh just prior to the Irish famine.  At a young age, O’Leary moved to Cork where he worked in a brewery.  While in Cork, at the age of twenty-three or twenty-four, O’Leary received his first lesson on the pipes in 1900 at the Cork Pipers’ Club.   

As an educator, O’Leary worked at a Christian Brothers School in Wexford, and later served as Professor at St. Peters College where he taught Irish and French.  In addition to these languages, O’Leary was also fluent in English, German, and Latin.  O’Leary’s interests also extended to photography, the fixing of clocks and gramophones, and served as a committee member for the Gaelic arts festival, Feis Charman, in Wexford. 

O’Leary likely met Francis O’Neill in 1906 either at the Munster Feis, where O’Leary won first prize for piping, or through their mutual friend William Rowsome.  In 1906 O’Leary purchased union pipes which were marveled at for their beauty by O’Neill and later Lochlainn.  Upon purchasing these pipes, O’Leary took them to Rowsome for repair, which was described by O’Neill in his book, Irish Minstrels and Musicians (1913).  In addition to his skill on the pipes, O’Leary also played the flute and piano. 

O’Leary’s performance on the pipes came to an unfortunate end in the 1930s when he cut a tendon in his hand while gardening, limiting the use of his thumb.  Upon retirement, O’Leary moved to the southern Irish sea town of Yougall where he was buried in 1944. 

References:

DeVal, Fr. Seamus. Interview by Mark Redmond, April 24, 2019. 

O’Neill, Francis. Irish Minstrels and Musicians. Chicago: The Regan Printing House, 1913. 

Redmond, Mark. "Denis O’Leary and the Gaelic Revival." The Past: The Organ of the Uí Cinsealaigh Historical Society, no. 33 (2019): 72-84. Accessed March 15, 2021. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26663241. 

(Biography by Micah Bland)

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  1. Irish Folk Music: A Fascinating Hobby (1910) Scott B. Spencer
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