Pecker Dunne

Pecker Dunne
Birth name	Patrick Dunne
Born	(1932-04-01)April 1, 1932
Origin	Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland
Died	December 20, 2012(2012-12-20) (aged 80) Killimer, County Clare, Ireland
Genres	Folk, traditional Irish
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, banjo, fiddle, melodeon, guitar
Years active	1942–2012

Patrick "Pecker" Dunne (born April 1, 1932, Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland) (died December 19, 2012, Killimer, County Clare, Ireland) was an Irish musician.

He was born in his parents' horse-drawn caravan. His family were Irish Travellers originally from County Wexford, where his father was a fiddle player. In Parley-poet and Chancer, an autobiography transcribed by Micheál Ó hAodha (page 21), he states he lived on New Street Crumlin and Galtymore Road. Drimnagh was considered part of an area known as North Crumlin until the introduction of the postal code system during the mid-1970s. The older residents still remember the family living there. He is one of Ireland's most noted banjo players (also proficient with fiddle, melodeon and guitar),and is among an elite of Traveller musicians that includes The Fureys.

Dunne became known to a wide Irish audience from his regular busking at GAA sporting fixtures, particularly in Munster. Later he played in England, France, Australia and New York, where he appeared with The Dubliners. He also performed alongside Richard Harris and Stephen Rea in the 1996 feature film Trojan Eddie.

He lived in Killimer, County Clare with his wife and four children, who continue the musical tradition.

Recordings

Ireland's own Pecker Dunne - the Tinkerman. 1987 (re-released on CD (Paddyland PLMCD) in 2001)

Sources

• Parley-poet and Chanter, (2004), by Pecker Dunne & Micheál Ó hAodha, ISBN 978-1-899047-13-0