Jim O’Flaherty

Jim O’Flaherty was a piper who influenced many of the local Irish players in the early 80s until his passing in July 2001. His family hosted annual sessions in their home attracting players from all around the state. Jim’s enthusiasm and love for traditional Irish music and his strong interest in helping young players inspired the founding of the retreat, and as a tribute, the retreat is named for him.

The annual sessions that were hosted by Jim O’Flaherty at his house included hours of lively music, a pot luck and an opportunity to relax with friends new and old. He made it a comfortable place for all players whatever their level. In many respects, it was like being on a retreat with people you liked to be with. 

About Jim
James O’Flaherty was born in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland in 1942.  Listowel is a little town 10 miles east of the sea, 10 miles north of Tralee and not much farther west of the famous Killarny.  Listowel is an artsy type town: lots of writers, actors, artists and musicians.  Jim was very proud of his town and bragged often about it.  He cherished the fact that the annual Irish folk music competition, the Fleadh Cheoil, was usually held there, because the town was “little, old, and rural ... a proper place for the music," he'd say.

Even though he left Ireland at the age of 18, Jim (or "Irish" or "Seamus" as he was called by friends and family) was a great lover of his native land, with all it’s music, language, humor, and amazing cast of characters.  He tried to go back to visit his family every year, and everyone there said he was even more “Irish than the Irish" because he kept his home alive in his heart, mind and continued many of the traditions he had grown up with.  

As a child, Jim learned to play the concertina, tinwhistle, and violin.   His grand uncle John on his father’s side was often at their home and was well known locally for his playing the uilleann pipes.  There was also his beloved uncle Dan on his mother’s side; a local carpenter, quite the storyteller, and great on the fiddle.

Jim loved all music, but it was the Fleadh Cheoil of 1976 that set him on the path of becoming a traditional Irish music fanatic.  He went from group to group on the streets of Listowel, taping everything he heard, and then he attended every competition he could make.  He was excited and motivated.

By next year’s Fleadh, he had bought a set of pipes, and taught himself to play.  He was wonderful on the tinwhistle, and a sweet player of the wooden flute, but his true love was the uilleann pipes.  

Seamus had 10 children -- nine sons and one daughter.  He taught them all to play Irish music on a variety of instruments, and it was one of his greatest joys to play the music with them.  He also found great joy hosting sessions at his house in Corinth, just south of Denton, Texas, playing the music with as many local Irish musicians he could find.         

Each year, when he would go home to Ireland to visit, he would keep up with the music there by getting together with some of the old locals.   They taught him that the fast tunes might be fun to play, as well as competitive and entertaining, but that the slow airs with their lovely vibratos were even more difficult and sustaining.   

He was a multi-talented man; an Irish player on many instruments, an airline pilot, a carpenter, a math teacher for his children, a beekeeper, and much more.   There were very few things he was afraid to tackle, including reed making.  He loved Ireland, it’s people, and it’s music.   But he also loved his new home country America and especially Texas.  He said this was where he loved to live even though as a commuting pilot, he could have chosen to live almost anywhere.  One of the reasons he loved it so much here was his enjoyment in seeing so many people playing Irish music in the area and loving the music as he did.

Our thanks to Jim and his family for sharing his life and music.