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The Start

A lot of people ask me how I started playing music. I remember when I was very young my brother Christy brought me to see my idol, Jimmy Shand. He was playing in The Theatre Royal, in Dublin.

I went home and begged my mother to buy me an accordion, she did. I then went to a man called Johnny Mitchell, to learn the accordion. Johnny was blind and a wonderful teacher. He started a band called, St Cecelia's Accordion Band, we played concerts and dances.

The Early Years

I left the band and started playing solo in concerts in Children's Hospitals and at parties for old folks, it was great. Then I joined a ceili band, it was great because Irish Ceili music was the first type of music I learned and I loved it. Then I joined a Country and Western band, and after about four years I left to join folk singer, Johnny McEvoy. We played mostly concerts, which I really enjoyed and we travelled a lot to England, Scotland and Wales. And also to the United Arab Emirates. It was on a week's tour with Johnny McEvoy in England that I met Daniel. Where Daniel was in concert with Johnny.

With Daniel

At the end of the week, Daniel asked me if I would join his band and I said that I would love too. So I did and twenty years on I'm still with him. Daniel is a fantastic person to work with and thanks to working with him, I have travelled the world and played in places that you only dream of. Such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Sydney Opera House, The Royal Albert Hall in London and many more places in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom and of course, there's no place like home.

Meeting My Hero, Jimmy Shand

I'll never forget while on a tour of Scotland, we played Dundee and a good friend of mine, Jim Rosie called me to say that Jimmy Shand was expecting us at his home. I nearly choked, I couldn't believe it, it was because of this man that I started playing the accordion and I was soon to meet him. So we headed off and a few of the band members came along too. When we arrived at his house he was waiting outside for us, we went straight in and of course, straight away asked him if I could see his Famous Accordion . He said, "it's in the hall, bring it in". Well he started to play, I had never heard anything like it, I had a flashback, I was a kid again and Christy was beside me and I was hearing him for the first time. I asked him to play the Bluebell Polka, which was one of his greats, when he was finished I asked him, was it the Bluebell Polka that made him, he turned to me and in his broad Scottish accent he said "Och No, it was I that made the Bluebell Polka". After a wonderful night, we said our goodbyes and a few years later my idol passed away. I would like to make an album of his music and dedicate it to the late and Great JIMMY SHAND.

The New Album

I've finished a new album, it's out now and called "Ronnie Kennedy Accordion Irish Melodies". I really enjoyed making this one, it's special to me, it's the first time I arranged and produced my own album. There are two numbers which I composed myself "Kane's Melody" after my first grandchild and the other is "A Mother's Lament" and I'd like to dedicate it to all mother's.

I'd like to give special thanks to Padraig Grogan for recording this album and playing acoustic guitar, Thank You.

I hope you enjoy my music as much as I do playing it.

Til me meet again, take care and God Bless.

Love Ronnie 2