Joe Heaney

Joe Heaney (1919–1984) was the undisputed king of Ireland's dramatic and difficult sean-nós a cappella vocal style. His rich, resonant voice was unpretty, and totally male -- yet flexible enough to negotiate the most sinuous twists and turns. His legacy is the acknowledged apex of the Connacht style of sean-nós, where slow ballads unwind like thread from a spool and dance tunes never lose their innate melancholic twinge. He had a keen sense of when to embellish a tune and when to let the tune shine forth on its own.

Seosamh Ó hÉanaí (Joe Heaney was the Anglicized version of his name) was born in Áird Thoir, Carna, in the Connemara Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking region). He grew up immersed in ancient folktales and superstitions, learning songs from his parents, extended family and neighbors. His talent was obvious enough that he was invited to sing at the local National School but his childhood was bleak. He left home to take advantage of a scholarship to a teacher's college but was expelled before he could complete his degree. This early failure, despite his many achievements, rankled for the rest of his life. After he won first prize at the Oireachtas contest in 1942, he reputation was made. But once he married and became the father of four, making a living was an ongoing problem. Like many Irishmen of the time, he traveled to Scotland and England in search of work. By the mid-20th century, he had become a fixture in London's exciting traditional-music scene, going back and forth between there and Dublin, performing at concerts, making recordings and competing in competitions.

Like so many artists of genius, his worldview was extremely subjective and he was not always pleasant to be around. Heaney's devotion to his family was limited to say the least, but it was possible that he simply had little energy to spare for anything other than singing. His participation in the British folk boom had its ups and downs as sean-nós is not easily accessible to mainstream audiences. Invited to open for supporters like Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, Heaney sometimes met with a terrible reception and was even driven offstage. Following fruitless attempts to secure a position within the Irish school system, he decided needed a change and immigrated to America.

He settled in Manhattan and took a job as a liveried doorman at an upscale apartment building. Admiring colleagues introduced him to the American folk scene while academics like Mick Moloney sponsored his first forays onto the college circuit. Thanks to the latter, Heaney ultimately achieved his lifelong ambition to teach, first at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut., and later as part of the ethnomusicology department of the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was employed until his death in 1984. —Christiana Roden