Felix Doran (musician)

Felix Doran (died 1972) was an Irish Traveller who was known for traditional music from the early 1920s to the 1970s as uilleann pipe player.[1] Felix and his brother Johnny Doran are descendants of nineteenth-century Wexford piper John Cash.[2][3]

Felix Doran
BornIreland
Died1972
GenresIrish traditional music, folk music
InstrumentUilleann pipes
LabelsTopic Records

Career

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Doran was an Irish Traveller uilleann piper who was recorded by Ciaran MacMathuna for RTÉ and by Peter Kennedy and Sean Davies. He was also a horse dealer.[4] Doran and his family were known to entertain at fairs and race meetings in Ireland.[3]

Doran later moved to Manchester and went into the transport business. He did well and became wealthy, and ordered a set of silver uillean pipes from an engineer in Germany.[3]

A recording of some of Doran's music, Felix Doran – The Last Of The Travelling Pipers, was released in 1976 by Topic Records (four years after Doran's death in 1972).[4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "John Rooney: Charismatic custodian of Traveller uilleann piping tradition". The Irish News. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  2. ^ "StackPath". www.folkradio.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Vallely, Fintan (2012). Companion to Irish Traditional Music. Cork: Cork University Press. p. 219. ISBN 978-1859184509.
  4. ^ a b "Felix Doran – The Last Of The Travelling Pipers". Topic Records. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Felix Doran – The Last Of The Travelling Pipers". discogs.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Doran Centenary Tionól - A celebration of the piping tradition of Johnny and Felix Doran". mustrad.org.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
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