Patrick "Pecker" Dunne (1 April 1933 – 19 December 2012) was an Irish musician and seanchaí. Dunne was born in

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

, "in the old county home". His family were

Irish Travellers Irish Travellers (, meaning ''the walking people''), also known as Mincéirs ( Shelta: ''Mincéirí'') or Pavees, are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group originating in Ireland.''Questioning Gypsy identity: ethnic na ...

originally from

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

, where his father was a

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 ...

player. In ''Parley-poet and Chanter'', an autobiography transcribed by Micheál Ó hAodha (page 21), he stated that he later lived in the

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

suburb of Drimnagh. He was one of Ireland's most noted

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

players and was also proficient on the fiddle, melodeon and guitar, and was among an elite of Traveller musicians. Dunne became known to a wide Irish audience from his regular busking at GAA sporting fixtures, particularly in

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

. Later he played in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

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 he appeared with

The Dubliners The Dubliners () were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in pers ...

. He also performed alongside

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

and Stephen Rea in the 1996 feature film '' Trojan Eddie''. He lived in Killimer,

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

with his wife and four children. He died there on 19 December 2012, aged 79, and is buried in Burrane, near Killimer."The Pecker" Dunne: The Last of the Traveling People
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Recordings

* ''Ireland's own Pecker Dunne - the Tinkerman''. 1987 (re-released on CD (Paddyland PLMCD) in 2001) * ''Travellin' People from Ireland''. Margaret Barry & Pecker Dunne * ''Very Best of Ireland's Legendary Street Singer''

References

* ''Parley-Poet and Chanter: An Autobiography, Volume 1'', (2004), by Pecker Dunne & Micheál Ó hAodha,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Pecker 1933 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Irish male musicians 21st-century Irish male musicians Irish male fiddlers Irish male banjoists Musicians from County Mayo People from Castlebar Irish Traveller people Irish buskers 20th-century Irish fiddlers 21st-century Irish fiddlers 20th-century Irish banjoists 21st-century Irish banjoists