Johnny Doran

Uilleann piper; Traveller

Born
1908
Died
19 January 1950, Athy, County Kildare

A piper from a Traveller family with a long musical line, Doran travelled Ireland by horse and caravan, playing at fairs, races and sporting events. His fast, flowing style inspired Willie Clancy and later pipers such as Paddy Keenan and Davy Spillane. A wall collapsed on his caravan in Dublin in 1948, leaving him paralysed, and the only recording of his playing was made for the Irish Folklore Commission in 1947.

Further reading: Wikipedia · Dictionary of Irish Biography