Achievements

Senior All-Ireland accordion champion. 1959 and 1960
"Traditional Musician of the Year" RTE Irish Television. 1970
Represented Ireland at World Accordion Festival held in Montmagny, Quebec, Canada. 1989
Hosted hiw own Radio show entitled "Ireland in America" on station K.D.H.X., St. Louis Missouri. 1989-1991
Represented Ireland in "Accordions that shook the World" tour. 1992
"Hall of Fame" award Rostrevor, Co. Down. 1990
"Lifetime Achievement" award "Irish World" newspaper, London. 1997
"Honorary Member" award National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs, Scotland. 1974
"Traditional Musician of the Year" award - A.I.B. and Galway Chamber of Commerce. 1997
Represented Ireland at traditional music festival Canayyama, Japan. 2001
Boston College Award for "Your exceptional mastery and life long illustration of the music in Ireland". 2000
Arranged and Performed music for "Old Ireland" - a film depicting rural Ireland in the mid twentieth century. 2002
Gradam an comhaltais 2003
Hall of fame New York Comhaltas 2010
Represented Ireland in Moscow Music Festival 2010

 

Teaches Master Classes

  • Willie Clancy Summer School, Co. Clare
  • South Sligo Summer School, Co. Sligo
  • Joe Mooney Summer School, Co. Leitrim
  • Mcpeake Summer School, Belfast.

Lectures and talks on traditional music entitled:

  • "Emigrant Musicians of the Twentieth Century"
  • "The Music of East Galway"
  • "The Accordion in Traditional Music"
  • "Time of Change" Traditional Music mid Twentieth Century.