Tuesday, February 23, 2010

PECKER DUNNE


This video is wonderful. Pecker Dunne is a Roma/Traveler in Ireland. His music blends traditional Irish and Romani. The condition of Romani people worldwide is so very dismal, hence the reason this blog is often dismal. I thought we might all enjoy some music.



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Pecker Dunne was born into a travelling family in Wexford c1933. Like other travellers, he used to play on a fiddle he made himself. He performed outside hurling and football matches. He also busked widely in Ireland, England and France.
Resembling a Mexican bandit with his trademark beard and stocky build, he is a colourful character, as widely known around Ireland as Margaret Barry was to a previous generation. He is best known for The Miximatosis Rabbit and a version of The Black Velvet Band called The Old Morris Van. It was from him that Sweeney's Men got Sullivan's John.
For the past 20 years or so he could be heard singing and playing the banjo in Killarney and at Munster Final day in Thurles. He featured in the film Trojan Eddie with Richard Harris and Stephen Rea. Nowadays he lives in County Clare.
Aged 74, he was treated in a local hospital in 2007 for a throat illness. His spirit was as high as ever. Sr Carmel O'Sullivan said: "Part of his healing process... more
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6 comments:

Casimire said...

Language they are speaking is interesting. Is it like Celtic?

Morgan said...

Yes a lot of it is Gaelic. Actually Irish, which Irish people are willing to point out is different. And then the dialect of the Travelers comes in. Phew.
Morgan

Anonymous said...

Pecker Dunne was not a Roma, he was an Irish traveller like all his people before him

Morgan said...

Thanks for your comment. and you are totally correct. pecker dunne was an irish traveller.
we try to address the issues of all oppressed people and noone can deny the oppression of irish travellers.
as travellers and roma are so often lumped together in the eyes of the oppressors, we see him as a comrade.
morgan

Anonymous said...

That is good that you can see him as a comrade, he would be a friend to all people, he would root for the underdog

Morgan said...

As indeed, he did.
Thanks so much for your comment.
I really appreciate dialogue.
Morgan