# Music by Genre > Celtic, U.K., Nordic, Quebecois, European Folk >  Alec Finn RIP

## seankeegan

https://www.rte.ie/culture/2018/1116...-dies-aged-74/

A huge loss.

Rest in Peace

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bruce.b, 

Gerry Cassidy, 

Paul Statman, 

Rush Burkhardt, 

violmando

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## Steve L

Sad news today about the passing of Alec Finn.  Truly a giant in our little corner of the world.

https://www.rte.ie/culture/2018/1116...-dies-aged-74/

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Paul Statman, 

violmando

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## Mandolin Cafe

I merged two threads on the subject. Hope no one minds on that. Dan just shared a video about Alec yesterday while we were chatting. Hadn't even had time to watch it in its entirety. Long time fan of the man's work. Rest in peace.

https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/home/?p...och%20&dlft=35

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Anglocelt, 

Paul Statman, 

Rush Burkhardt, 

seankeegan

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## Bertram Henze

Men like him don't die. He'll keep on playing elsewhere. I hope they're giving him a good instrument.

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violmando

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## Reinhardt

Alec was an absolute genius. To me, he was the sound of De Danann. It was his completely new style of bouzouki playing back in the 70s that gave them their unique great sound. He'll be sorely missed. My deepest sympathies to his family and his many friends.

John

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Paul Statman, 

Rob Meyer

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## danb

I'm thankful to have had the chance to get to know Alec briefly on a few occasions. He was an inspiring musician and a gentle soul. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and to everyone who was also touched by his music!

Here's another Link to the biopic recently shared

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BradKlein, 

Paul Statman

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## Rush Burkhardt

Thanks, Scott, for posting that! I met Alec Finn for the first time, today, and said goodbye, as well! His statement, at the end of the video, is a perfect representation of, not just himself, but all of us passing through senior-dom! 

Thanks for that, Alec (RIP)...and Scott!

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BradKlein

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## DougC

Anyone who plays Irish Bouzouki is indebted to this man.  I'll miss him, but he is in all of the music. And I think he is smiling, knowing that he is another 'gost in the castle'.

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## Randi Gormley

I just saw this a few minutes ago. A huge loss to the Irish community; nice guy, always willing to play with whomever was around. He'll be sorely missed.

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## Jill McAuley

Very sad news indeed, may he rest in peace.

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## zookster

I will be having  a retrospective  on Alec's career this Sunday from noon until three on my radio show., "Celtic Winds" on WNCW (wncw.org)  so please join me. A wonderful man, with a unique touch and such an integral part of the sound of De Danann from the get-go.   
I will fearture selections from his solo album , "The Blue Shamrock" as well as some excerpts from late 70s/early 80s recordings of "Feadoga Stain" with the wonderful  Mary Bergin, as well as the Noel Hull/Tony Linanne disc.  I also have some radio bootlegs of live De Danann that I digitized which will be on air for the first time.

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## Clement Barrera-Ng

I was saving the TG4 piece on Alec Finn so I can watch it properly this weekend without interruption, and now it'll be such a bittersweet farewell to one of my longest standing musical hero. He will be sorely missed.

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## Dagger Gordon

I so enjoyed the TG4 piece on him only this week, but was a bit stunned when he talked about cancer right at the end. And now this.

Anyway, he was a master at what he did and truly was a quite unique musician and character (as the Se Mo Laoch programme clearly shows). 
It's not at all an exaggeration to say that the music he made (along with Planxty, Bothies, Sean O'Riada and various others) deeply affected my own music in the 1970's and indeed to some extent changed the course of my life - and I suspect I'm not alone in that here.

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Anglocelt, 

Clement Barrera-Ng, 

Jill McAuley, 

Steve L

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## Bertram Henze

> ...and I suspect I'm not alone in that here.


You're absolutely right.

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kmmando

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## BradKlein

I'd been waiting for a moment to watch the TG4 documentary. Just wonderful, and a moving tribute. 

I don't know how long it will be available online, so catch it while you can.

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## kmmando

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-...nann-1.3715926

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## kmmando

https://www.independent.ie/entertain...-37562768.html

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## kmmando

http://www.kevinmacleod.co.uk/alec-finn

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BradKlein, 

Dagger Gordon, 

Dave Hanson, 

John Kelly, 

seankeegan, 

whistler

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## seankeegan

Beautiful words, and some great photos Kevin.

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Dagger Gordon, 

kmmando

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## kmmando

I've lost the text of the remembrance I wrote on my website, and I just wondered if anyone had taken a copy? Bit of a pest to say the least! In hope. Kevin

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## Mandolin Cafe

Is this it? Grabbed from Google cached.

A PERSONAL REMEMBRANCE ON ALEC FINN BY KEVIN MACLEOD

I was very deeply saddened at the sudden passing on 16th November 2018 of my dear friend and lifelong musical collaborator Alec Finn of Oranmore Castle, Co. Galway, Ireland. His death, aged 74, leaves a huge hole in traditional music in Ireland, and the outpourings of sadness from all corners of the globe were huge. I had known him extremely well for 37 years, so it left myself and many others reeling.

I first heard Alec's astonishing music with De Danann on a John Peel BBC Radio 1 session in 1978, then tracked down the seminal duet album he and Frankie Gavin did in New York City in 1977 in a few hours - Alec told me that a bottle of Jack Daniels was all it took to create this legendary, one-take recording of the amazing weave that they had, and that interplay was at the very core of the sound of their band De Danann. I first saw them live in Kilkenny in 1981, and met Alec afterwards in the bar, and, having a passionate curiousity about mandolins, exploring the bouzouki was high on my agenda, so who better to ask! He was hugely welcoming to us three visiting Scots that night, and he passed me his address to keep in touch. Thus began a lifetimes' friendship, with many wild tours and gigs around America, Ireland and the UK undertaken, the thrill of making my 4 solo cds, each with Alec playing on them, and also being invited to create the artwork and perform on Alec's "Innisfree" solo cd, which was a great honour.

But above all that, we met often over the years down in London, over in Galway or Dublin and, of course, in one of his most favourite places, Edinburgh. He adored the music scene here in Scotland, the malts of the moment in Sandy Bells bar, the Scots repertoires of fiddler John Martin, singer George Duff and the bagpipe music repertoire of pipers Allan MacDonald and Mike Katz, and, of course, the whisky. He really revelled in it all, and the sessions were immense. Every meeting was also filled with rummages in charity shops, fleamarkets, garden centres and junkyards, with his amazing artistic eagle-eye gathering colourful and exotic baubles, ironwork, Mexican tiles, anything remotely bird related, exotic plants and trinkets. These all ended up adorning his castle home and orchid filled conservatories in Oranmore Castle, and also in his beloved retreat in Vence on the Cote D'Azur, where he was truly in his creative element. His memorable 60th birthday party there was something else, as was the fabulous wedding of his daughter Heather at Oranmore Castle. Days to truly savour and reflect on with much warmth over the years to come.

But fundamentally, he made other musicians, singers and tune players sound so much better and so special. And his close coterie of musical collaborators that he chose to underpin included some of the very greatest musicians in Ireland - Mary Bergin, Frankie Gavin, Noel Hill, Dolores Keane, Mary Staunton, John Carty, Eleanor Shanley, Kathleene Loughnane, Sean Ryan and many others. He had the most superb ear for improvising something unique, groovy and perfect for the moment. He himself was simply unforgettable, larger than life and totally unique, a "creative soul", as his talented son Cian Finn described in the recent TG4 "Se Mo Laoch" documentary on Alec's life. Timely now in hindsight, it captured the artistic essence of this great man, and I was deeply honoured to guide him through his recollections during the memorable recording in February 2018, the last time I saw him. Playing one last pipe march with him in the Great Hall of Oranmore Castle will remain the high point of my musical life.

I really will miss his whacky humour, fantastic musicianship, scurrulous cartoons, astute musical guidance, creasing ourselves watching Mel Brookes in "Dead and Loving it", perhaps not the chaotic trail of mess he left everwhere, the hilarious and cutting observations on life, his complete lack of interest in any technical stuff and his ability to render it useless almost immediately, his colour sense and inate taste, his ceramics and paintings, the deep generosity of his music, his unwavering loyalty to his close friends and above all his utter zest for life.

Thanks Birdman, it was a fabulous rock and roll ride.

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Bill Findley, 

BradKlein, 

Dagger Gordon

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## kmmando

Marvellous! That has saved the day! Thanks!

Kevin

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## kmmando

I have now added a load more images of Alec Finn if anyone is interested.

http://www.kevinmacleod.co.uk/alec-finn

cheers Kevin

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John Kelly, 

Loretta Callahan, 

zoukboy

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## kmmando

TG4 have the documentary available again for a couple of weeks, if you missed it …

https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/home/?p...och%20&dlft=35
https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/home/?p...och%20&dlft=35

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BradKlein

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## zookster

There is a wonderful disc that came out last year, possibly Alec's last project, called "THe Corner House Set."   Box player Aiden Coffey, Frankie Gavin, and Colm Murphy on bodhran.  Excellent in every way, a quasi-De Dannan sound but  some different kind of selections.

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AMandolin

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## AMandolin

I second that. Very nice indeed

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## kmmando

Alec went on to make a final duet album with Frankie Gavin, bookending the original Shannachie LP, and also a beautiful cd with his son Cian Finn, of traditional Irish songs. That was his last official release, sadly. But so glad that he made these, with a dollop of encouragement from his friends.

https://frankiegavin-dedannan.irish/index.php/shop/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__5b...&feature=share

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## kmmando

Hard to believe that its coming up for a year since this great, clever, funny and hugely talented pal left us so suddenly. It was an enormous privilege to have known him, played music by his side, and enjoyed such hilarious times in his unique company. Miss you hugely, Alec, as do so very many, but will keep your flame alive while I can. 

Good to see that the excellent team at TG4 are reshowing this lovely portrait of his life again. Seems to work for me.

https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/home/?p...sh-kZByG1feuTU

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BradKlein, 

Steve 2E

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## John Kelly

His legacy will be in safe hands with you, Kevin.  The music lives on.

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## Clement Barrera-Ng

I was just listening to the album he and Frankie Gavin played together last night (I called it the Finn Gavin album). What a masterpiece. Every piece on that album still moves me. Can't believe it's been a year.

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## kmmando

A recent clip surfaced of these two genius musicians in action in 1988.

The very best musicians in the world appear to do so little! Finn's accompaniment is just so right and groovy.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2018/031...and-alex-finn/

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## kmmando

http://www.kevinmacleod.co.uk/alec-finns-instruments

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Dagger Gordon, 

Gerry Cassidy, 

Jill McAuley, 

John Kelly

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## Gerry Cassidy

> http://www.kevinmacleod.co.uk/alec-finns-instruments


Kevin, thanks for this amazing history on one of my ITM heroes! I recently got hold of a bowlback trichoro and am doing my best to make heads or tails of it. They are definitely a challenge! 

Also, Alec, and his son Cian did a very nice project that Cian originally released in 2019. I believe it was recorded the year before Alec passed. I downloaded MP4 files of it, but Cian did a bit of remastering work on it earlier this year and sent me a CD copy. It's great listening for anyone who would like to hear Alec's playing as it's, mostly, just him accompanying Cian's singing. There are a few whistle parts and some other back-up instruments, but Alec really comes through the mix and you can get a good listen to his playing style.
Edit: Nevermind! I just read you mentioned this recording in a previous post! Sorry for the redundancy!

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kmmando

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