From The Archives

Sean McGuire - born in Co. Cavan, but lived most of his life in Belfast. Won All Ireland with a record 100%

Josephine Keegan has an A level distinction on Fiddle from Trinity College, London & an Oireachtas Gol Medal. Here, of course, she merely accompanies Sean on Piano.

1979 recording on OUTLET - OAS 3017

Sean was born at number 7 Dunmore street ,in the Clonard area of Belfast.I have seen his birth Certificate.His father was from Cavan and Sean loved the place so he kept telling people he was born there.He told an awful lot of Porkies!!

Good man Michael. When I first came over here I used to see him play fairly regularly at the Derry & Antrim Fiddler’s nights up at the Skerry Inn, Newtoncrommelin.

There were some great ding dong sessions when he & Jim McKillop (the young pretender!) both turned up.
Rightly or wrongly, you always got the impression that young Jim was trying to prove something.

I remember one night, at one ‘end of night’ grand session on stage when Jim was up front, centre stage - well, where else, & Sean was sitting right behind me & I swear he played a whole set of reels up the neck of the fiddle in around 2nd, 3rd & maybe even 4th position.
I don’t know if Jim heard this - he may have been too busy listening to himself? 🙂

Sorry Jim if your out there, I’m only green with envy! Fraid when someone says 2nd position to me, I only think of the ‘Kama Sutra’! 😀