Early life
John Kelly was from the townland of Rehy West near Kilbaha in West Clare....
Scattery Island
Scattery island (Inis Scathaigh in Irish) is a small island just off the coast...
Patsy Geary
Patsy Geary (1857 – 1936) was a fiddle player and a mentor of Johns...
Concertina in County Clare
Find out about the concertina in County Clare from the below interviews with John....
Willie Clancy
Willie Clancy (1918 - 1973) was a noted piper from Miltown Malbay in West...
Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy
The Willie Clancy summer school was founded when Muiris Ó Rocháin, Marty Talty &...
Mrs. Crotty
Mrs. Crotty (1885-1960), born Elizabeth Markem was from Cooraclare in West Clare. She came...
West Clare Music
Below through John's audio and video recordings you will find out about his views...
Nell Galvin
Ellen (Nell) Galvin (née McCarthy) (1887 - 1961) from West Clare was a fiddle...
John's family in Dublin
When John moved to Dublin in 1945 he met and married Frances Hilliard (1916...
Music in Dublin in the 20th century
John moved from West Clare in 1945 and worked in the Bog of Allen...
The Horse Shoe Shop
On Moving to Dublin in 1945, John opened a hardware shop at 85 Capel...
O'Donoghues Bar
John & Joe Ryan played in O'Donoghues Pub on Merrion Row from the mid...
The Four Seasons
When musicians visited John in Capel Street they would often go for tunes in...
Joe Ryan
Joe Ryan (1928–2008) was from Inagh, in County Clare. He moved to Dublin and...
Andy Conroy
Andy Conroy (1911 - 1999) was one of John's best friends. Andy was a...