Restored recordings of uilleann piper Séamus Ennis bring his music to a new generation.
More than twenty recordings of Séamus Ennis from the 1940s have been restored and released on a new RTÉ album 'The Return From Fingal'.
Séamus Ennis was born in North County Dublin in 1919. The son of an accomplished piper, he first picked up the pipes at the age of 13 out of sheer boredom and realised he was a natural as he played The Bard of Armagh.
He became an icon for traditional musicians in general and uilleann pipers in particular.
Séamus Ennis travelled the countryside building an archive of folklore and music.
Producer of 'The Return from Fingal' Peter Browne describes Séamus Ennis as a wonderful uilleann piper and this album shows him at his very best and includes recordings over a period of 40 years.
Despite his international acclaim and success, the personal life of Séamus Ennis was not always happy and he ended his days in 1982 living in a mobile home in Naul, County Dublin.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 17 July 1997. The reporter is Colm Connolly.
