Barney McKenna

Barney McKenna is undoubtedly the most important Irish banjoist in history. Everybody who plays the Irish banjo today has been influenced by him in one way or another.

McKenna comes from a musiclly active family and both his brother Seán Óg and cousin Mickey Mckenna are highly respected banjo players in the Dublin area.

Barney McKenna began playing the banjo at a very early age. Apparently he really wanted to play the mandolin, but a banjo was all he could afford. He started tuning it like the mandolin, only one octave lower, and soon learned to play it so well he amazed everybody he played with.
  At the age of 14 McKenna left school to start working as a glass blower, kitchen porter and builder's labourer. He also played the banjo whenever and wherever he could. He moved to England for a short while, but soon returned and joined the Piper's Club in Dublin. It was mainly there at the Piper's Club he learned the ornamentations etc. that became such an important part of his (and all later Irish tenor banjoists') style.

In 1962 he joined Paddy Moloney's new band The Chieftains but left after just a few rehearsals and teamed up with Luke Kelly, Ronnie Drew and Ciarán Bourke to form The Dubliners instead.

Although the Dubliners is often referred to as a "ballad band", the instruments have always been much more than backup to he singing In particular Barney McKenna's tenor banjo (and since 1964 John Sheahan's fiddle) has had central roles in their music, and his innovative rendering of dance tunes and songs has been a major reason why the banjo has began to gain "official acceptance" among Irish traditional music lovers.

Barney McKenna still sings and plays banjo, mandloin and melodeon with the Dubliners as the only original member still in the band. He has also been a guest musician on countless session, most notably with his old bandmates on the Chieftain's Water from the well.

In addition to playing Irish music, Barney McKenna is also a good jazz banjoist. There has been talk about a jazz recording for long, but so far it hasn't happened.

Discography

The Dubliners: Finnegan Wakes
	The last record the Dubliners made for the Transatlantic label was a live recording from Dublin's Gate Theatre and is a rare opportunity to hear how the band performed live at the peak of their powers.   The 2002 CD release includes no less than seven bonus tracks.
The Dubliners: In Concert
	A post-Luke Kelly live recording. The crew may have changed, but the energy and musical qualities remains. As always on the Dubliners' live recordings, Barney McKenna gets lots of space to show off his banjo skills on rousing instrumental tracks, including a version of "My Love is in America" that has become some sort of a minor classic among Irish tenor banjoists.   The 2002 release includes no less than 9 bonus tracks in addition to the 14 tracks from the original release.
The Dubliners: Transatlantic Anthology
	Two CDs crammed with classic Dubliners songs as well as a fair share of instrumentals where Barney McKenna gets a chance to show why he's widely regarded as the greatest Irish banjo player in history.
The Dubliners: Best of the Dubliners: Irish Favorites
	Not to be confused by Sony's recent "Best of Dubliners" album, this is a record released back in 1967, just after the band had left Transatlantic and signed up with Legacy. Not many "hits" here, but a number of great and too often overlooked tracks, including a few instrumentals for McKenna and fiddler John Sheehan to show off their considerable skills.
The Dubliners: Definitive Transatlantic Collection
	24 tracks from the Dubliners' early years, including classics like "The Wild Rover", "Roky Road to Dublin", "My Love is in America", "Leaving of Liverpool" etc, etc, etc.   There's just one thing wrong with this CD: The other Transatlantic collection ("Definitive Transatlantic Collection") is even better.
The Dubliners: Milestones
	A nice collection of some of the Dubliners' greatest hits, including Whiskey in the Jar, Rocky Road to Dublin, Leaving of Liverpool, The Sick Note, Home Boys Home, Spanish Lady, Mason's Apron, The Irish Rover, Seven Drunken Nights?and more.
The Dubliners: Best of the Dubliners
	The title is more than a little misleading, since the CD only takes material from two records the Dubliners made for Epic/Legacy in 1967 and 1968. Nevertheless, that includes most of their greatest hits like "Whiskey in the jar", "Im a Rover", "Black Velvet Band" and "Seven Drunken Nights".   This is a pure song album with no banjo instrumentals, but both Luke Kelly and Barney McKenna does some marvelous backup playing throughout the record. Listen in particular to how McKenna plays around the tune in "Pub with no Beer" and Kelly's simple but effective accompaniment of "Black Velvet Band".
The Chieftains: Water From the Well
	The Chieftains went back to their roots and gathered together a wide range of great Irish traditional musicians for their guest list.   Not much banjo content, but the little there is, is of top quality (as is the rest of the record). Laurence Courtney sits in for a set of rousing reels. (Why don't we hear more of his banjo playing?) But even more important: Barney McKenna joins his old band-mates for a splendid rendering of "Within a Mile from Dublin" making you wonder what would have happened if he had chosen to join the Chieftais rather than the Dubliners back in 1962.
Various: Acoustic Folk Box
	If you're only going to buy one album of British folk music, this is the one you want. They're all here - 4 CDs with the best folk singers and musicians the British Isles have produced.
The Dubliners: Ireland's Finest
	Yet another collection of Dubliners hits. Not really essential since most of the tracks are found on so many other records too.
Various: The Best of Irish Folk
	A good double-CD of Irish artist that recorded for the Transatlantic label. Includes four tracks with the Dubliners.
Various: Festival of Irish Music
	4 CDs for the price of one.   The selection seems a bit odd at first, but the album does inlcude a few rare-to-find Dubliners tracks as well as some very good performers by lesser known names.
Sane MacGowan: Snake
	Shane MacGowan's self-destructive behaviour may have kicked him out of the Pogues, but he certainly still knows how to mix raw rock 'n roll and traditional Irish music into an explosive blend. The band on this CD include MacGowan's former bandmate Jem Finer on fivestring banjo and Barney McKenna on the tenor banjo.
Various: Best of Irish Folk
	Three Cds with Irish traditional music
Legends of Ireland: Various
	A cross-section of famous Irish bands and singers, Clancy Brothers, Dubliners, Bothy Band, Pogues, Luka Bloom...   Three banjoists appear here: McKenna with the Dubliners, Jem Finer with the Pogues and Tommy Makem with the Clancy Brothers. Seamus Eagan of is credited as a banjoist too, but this time he plays the flute not the banjo with his band Solas.
Various: Celtic: The Essential Album
	If you're looking for a good cross-section of Irish bands (not just traditional) this is a very good choice. If you want banjo - well The Dubliners plays Wild Rover, that's all.
Various: Troubadours of Folk: The '60s Acoustic Explosion
	You don't want to buy this record for its banjo content - just one Dubliners track (Wild Rover), but it is a very good selection of British folk music from the 60s.
The Boys of the Lough: Good Friends-Good Music
	The Boys of the Lough travelled across Ireland and Irish communities in the USA meeting up with fellow Irish musicians, including banjoist Barney McKenna.
Various: The Times They Are A-Changin'
	A summary of the British 60s and 70s folk scene. The only banjo content is Dubliners' Rocky Road to Dublin, so it's not worth buying for the banjo content alone. Nice selection of tracks though.
Various: 20 Famous Irish Ballads [Arc #1]
	As the title says. Includes two Dubliners' tracks ("Johnson's Motor Car" and "Whiskey in the Jar") and Margaret Barry's "Farewell, My Own Dear Native Land." (Not available at the moment)

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