Paddy Tunney

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Paddy Tunney (28 January 1921 – 7 December 2002) was an Irish traditional singer, poet, writer, storyteller and songwriter, known as the Man of Songs.

He was born in Glasgow to Irish parents. His mother Brigid Tunney had a rich musical background, and the family moved back to Ireland to live near Pettigo, County Donegal, then to Garvery in County Fermanagh. His first song came from his maternal grandfather, Michael Gallagher, when Paddy was four. He learned many songs from his mother and from his uncle Michael Gallagher, especially humorous songs. He went to Derryhollow National School and Ballyshannon Technical School, worked as a forester and later as a road worker.

During the Second World War he joined the IRA and in 1943 was jailed for seven years for smuggling explosives. He spent time in Crumlin Road Gaol, which left a strong impression on him. After his release he moved to Dublin, studied at University College Dublin to become a health inspector, and worked for Dublin Corporation and Kerry County Council before settling in Donegal in 1950. He married Julia Bradley in 1955 and they had six children, all of whom became singers.

Paddy began performing at the Fleadh Cheoil na h-Éireann in 1952 and soon became a regular. He judged at Fleadh events from the 1960s and taught many young singers at Scoil Éigse for about 20 years. In the 1960s he sang on the English folk club circuit with Joe Heaney and Louisa Killen and befriended many famous folk figures.

In the mid-1970s he moved to Salthill, County Galway, for seven years to focus on writing poetry and songs, including his book The Stone Fiddle. He returned to Donegal in 1982. He had been broadcasting since 1952 on Radio Éireann and later the BBC, and worked on RTÉ radio programs in the 1960s. In the 1980s he helped create a four-part RTÉ documentary on Irish traditional singing, and two TV documentaries about the west of Fermanagh.

Tunney’s songs influenced many artists, including The Chieftains, Planxty, Steeleye Span and others. He died on 7 December 2002, aged 81, and was buried in Conwall Cemetery in Letterkenny. In 2009 one of his songs appeared on a Topic Records box set.

He wrote two books about traditional songs and singers, The Stone Fiddle: My Way to Traditional Song (1979) and Where Songs do Thunder: Travels in Traditional Song (1991). He also published Dúchas and other poems and Ulster Folk Stories for Children (1990).