Denis Murphy (14 November 1910 – 7 April 1974) was an Irish

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

r and traditional musician. Murphy was born in Lisheen, Gneeveguilla,

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

one of eight children of Bill and Mainie (née Corbett) Murphy. His father played

fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

and

and had a fife and drum band. It was a house where music was played a lot with neighbours calling in. He and his sister Julia Clifford were taught

by Pádraig O'Keeffe. He later played with the Lisheen Fife and Drum Band. Murphy married Julia Mary Sheehan on 7 April 1942 and in 1949 they emigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where Denis worked in various jobs and was active in the music scene. They returned home in 1952, went back again and finally settled back in Lisheen in 1965. While in the United States he played with the Ballinmore Ceili Band, with such players as

Paddy Killoran Patrick J. Killoran (1903–1965) was an Irish people, Irish traditional fiddle player, bandleader and recording artist. He is regarded, along with James Morrison (fiddler), James Morrison and Michael Coleman (Irish musician), Michael Coleman, as ...

, James Morrison, Andy McGann, Lad O'Beirne and Charlie Mulvihill.

Discography

*''Denis Murphy: Music from Sliabh Luachra'', solo, RTÉ CD 183 *''The Star Above the Garter'', with sister Julia Clifford, Claddagh Records CC5CD *''Music from Sliabh Luachra Volume 1: Kerry Fiddles'', with Pádraig O'Keeffe & Julia Clifford, Topic 12T 309 / TSCD309 and Ossian OSSCD10

References

External links

Ronan Nolan's Biographical website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Denis 1910 births 1974 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States Irish male fiddlers Musicians from County Kerry 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American male musicians Claddagh Records artists People from Gneeveguilla 20th-century Irish male musicians 20th-century Irish fiddlers