Maurice & Alf Kennedy, pipemakers

[Jumper]

I'm curious to know what you folks can tell me about the Kennedys and their pipes.

• When were they active?
  Were they brothers, or father and son?
  Who did they learn pipemaking from, and who influenced their building style?
  Are there any prominent performers that use their instruments now or in the past?
  Did they build only concert-pitch sets?
  How would you characterize their instruments?

I've done some searching, and have turned up precious little information on them. There are pictures of each of them, but no textual references that I can find, in Tomas O Canainn's book Traditional Music In Ireland. Patrick has a couple of images of Matty Connelly playing an Alf Kennedy set with a Rowsome chanter on his site, and Tom Wilsbach makes a passing mention of Alf at http://www.angelfire.com/me4/upipes/upipes.html

What can you share?

-Jonathan-

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

I believe I read that they inherited the pipemaking tools of Tadgh (Denis) Crowley, also of Cork. Fin Furey used to play a Kennedy set, also Maire Ni Ghrada. Denis Brooks, who settled in Cork of all places. Powerful pipes, as were Crowley's. I think Brooks has a couple coat hangers in the chanter bore...

[Cayden]

I was once [1980] up at the house in Montenotte in Cork, Moss was quite old and in bad health [he died in 1982], not making pipes. Alf,the son, was doing a bit of pipemaking but don't seem to have continued on.

[Pat Cannady]

They used mostly African Blackwood for their instruments and their chanters possessed very wide bores, giving a very bright, punchy sound. The hard E on Kennedy chanters is great, you can get a nice "turkey gobble" with it.

I have a 1973 Kennedy, it was a decent stick to start learning pipes, but it needs a reed now. Ergonomically my hands just seem to work better with my other D chanter, a Koehler and Quinn made in 2000.

Maybe I'll ship it off to Alan Burton and let him see what he can do with it, I'm certain he could have it singing in no time. It never hurts to have backup.

[Jumper]

Thanks, Kevin, Peter, & Pat for your comments.

I've continued digging in my library, and found another passing reference in Patric Sky's A Manual for the Irish Uilleann Pipes, which mentions a Matthew [sic] Kennedy of Cork on page 14.

I've been aware for about twenty years of a supposedly pristine 'closet' Kennedy set in my area, and recently pursuaded its owner to let me and a friend have a look at them. We're planning to visit him in a week or so, and I'm hoping to be able to take some photos of them.

I can't imagine that they're in anything like playable condition; according to their owner, he's only had them out of the case once in the last forty years. He's promised them to his son, a top-ranked GHB player and pipe major, and an early musical influence and teacher of mine. I'd love to be able to push him into having them restored and start working on learning to play them.

I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the makers before we visit, so we'll be able to share this information with their owner.

Anyone else had a tidbit or two to glean?

Any suggestions on candidates for restoration? Pat, does Alan Burton work on old sets, besides reeding them?

-Jonathan-

[Pat Cannady]

I don't know if Alan does restorations, but you can ask him, he posts on this forum under the handle AlanB. He's a superb reedmaker.

[PJ]

Jonathan,

Thanks for the link to this thread. As mentioned in my PM, I lived for many years in Cork and return there from time to time. This was all prior to my becoming obsessed in uilleann pipes. To hear that Crowley and the Kennedys were making pipes of some repute in Cork is of great interest and I'm always keen to learn more. Did you get a chance to look at the Kennedy set mentioned above and if so, how was it?

[Joseph E. Smith]

Pat, would it be possible to let me have a go at building a reed for your Kennedy chanter?

[Jumper]

To hear that Crowley and the Kennedys were making pipes of some repute in Cork is of great interest and I'm always keen to learn more.

The Crowleys (Tadgh & Denis, father and son? Or is it son and father?) were earlier than the Kennedys (Maurice [Moss] and Alphonse [Alf], also father and son). Between them, this would cover the 1930s-1970s, as far as I can tell.

There were apparently also some makers named the Crowley brothers in New York. I don't know if there's any connection.

The Kennedys, at least, also made GHB, and Alf was the pipe major of the Carrigaline Pipe Band in Cork.

Did you get a chance to look at the Kennedy set mentioned above and if so, how was it?

Amazingly well-preserved for a 40+-year-old instrument. The silverplate was tarnished, and the imitation ivory had gone quite orange, but the instrument is otherwise in as-new condition. It has the original rubber (!) bag, which is still servicable, and all of the original reeds were working except one drone reed. It took less than five minutes of adjustments to get the set going.

There was a box of unused original spare reeds, two complete sets and some extra chanter reeds, all labeled.

It's pitched a bit high of concert pitch, but closer to D than Eb. Becky Taylor says her Crowley chanter is high, too; same reamer, perhaps? Kevin Reitmann has said that he thinks the Kennedys inherited the Crowley's tools.





Jonathan

[Joseph E. Smith]

Great photos!

[ausdag]

It's pitched a bit high of concert pitch, but closer to D than Eb. Becky Taylor says her Crowley chanter is high, too; same reamer, perhaps? Kevin Reitmann has said that he thinks the Kennedys inherited the Crowley's tools.

Yep, my friend's Crowley set plays high of concert pitch too. Seems to be a Crowley thing. I hear Michael Hubberts sets are based on Crowleys, does that mean Hubberst sets are pitched higher as well?

Cheers,

DavidG

[Jumper]

I hear Michael Hubberts sets are based on Crowleys, does that mean Hubberst sets are pitched higher as well?

I'm sure the owners of his instruments can answer that question more precisely, but I doubt it. Michael makes his own reamers, and has been making and restoring woodwinds for decades. He also makes flat chanters based on historical examples. He's an outstanding craftsman.

Jonathan

[PJ]

A few years back I was visiting family in Cork. I went into the Living Tradition on McCurtin St. I was told that there was a piper in Montenotte, apparently the only one in Cork at that time (1997/98). Would this have been Alf Kennedy?

Also, on McCurtin St. there's another music shop - Crowley's. Any connection?

[fel bautista]

I think Brooks has a couple coat hangers in the chanter bore...

If you look in Pat D'Arcy's archives, 2002 or there abouts; I sent him a clipping of Denis playing his set, complete with beard, but sans pipe in mouth, from Sunset Magazine, circa 1978.

Edited once, wrong archive date

[Cayden]

there was a piper in Montenotte, apparently the only one in Cork at that time (1997/98). Would this have been Alf Kennedy?

Moss Kennedy was up in Montenotte, possibly the son stayed there. He would hardly be the only piper in Cork though.