Anne (Sheehy) McAuliffe

My Life and Music

Anne McAuliffe

Anne Sheehy was born in Glenoe, in the parish of Lixnaw, Co. Kerry, on 23rd February 1946. She attended Clandoughlas National School and later the Technical School in Listowel. She learned her first music on the tin whistle from her father, Jack Sheehy, who played the fiddle and the whistle.

She later took up the button accordion which she had seen played by neighbours who visited the house for regular music sessions with her father, viz. Jerry Mulvihill and Páidín Kelliher. When very young, a teacher in Clandouglas School - Miss Nolan from Lyreacrompane – took Anne to play in a parish concert in Lixnaw Hall. This was her first public appearance! Sometime later, another person who was involved in the same concert approached her parents suggesting she should compete in a Fleadh Cheoil which was being organised in Ballyheigue. This person was none other than Diarmuid Ó Catháin – or Jer Keane as he was known locally – and the event was the first Kerry Fleadh Cheoil, in 1960. She won the under 14 accordion competition on that occasion and this was the start of a long career of competing in Fleadhanna all over Munster on various instruments, as well as in duets with her sister, Bridie, and trios with various other members of the Lixnaw Comhaltas branch as the need arose! She was a member of the Kingdom Céili Band which played extensively around North Kerry and also the Lixnaw Scoraíocht Group.

 

Her first All-Ireland Fleadh was in 1964, in Clones, Co. Monaghan, where she won the under 18 accordion competition. She missed very few all-Irelands since then. In 1967, she won the senior tin whistle at the Fleadh in Enniscorthy and in the same year she won the senior accordion competition at the Oireachtas in Dublin.

 

In 1968, Anne joined Siamsa Tíre which was being set up at the time by Fr. Pat Ahern, originally from Moyvane, who was then a curate in St. John’s Paris in Tralee. She enjoyed many years of performing with this group, both for summer seasons in Tralee and many trips abroad.

In 1968, she also became a member of the Desmond Céilí Band which was led by Michael O’Callaghan (R.I.P.) from Castleisland. By now she was playing concert flute as well as accordion. She was also a member of the Brosna Céilí Band which was led by Donal O’Connor, Brosna. Both bands played extensively in Kerry and beyond and took part in competitions with considerable success. The Brosna Céilí Band won the senior competition at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Listowel in 1972.

 

In 1975, Anne married fellow musician, Nickie McAuliffe from Knockachur, Knocknagoshel who was a member of all the above groups. On marriage, she resigned from her job as a shorthand typist with Kerry County Council and started teaching music, which she still does.

 

Growing up, her most admired musicians were Willie Clancy on whistle and pipes; Paddy Canny on fiddle; Joe Burke on accordion and Paddy Carthy on concert flute.

 

P.S.: This year, the McAuliffes were, with the Rockchapel-based group, Ceoltóirí Shliabh Luachra, warmly received in Áras an Uachtaráin by President Michael D. Higgins and his wife, Sabina. The group’s highly-acclaimed show, ‘A musical trail through the history of Ireland’, was researched and written by Nickie McAuliffe. On the same day, the group were welcomed to Leinster House by Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Minister, Jimmy Deenihan.



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