Bobby Casey

Bobby Casey (1926-2000) was an Irish traditional fiddler.. Casey was born at the Crosses of Annagh near Miltown Malbay, County Clare. His father, John ‘Scully’ Casey, who died when Bobby was in his mid teens, was a well-known fiddler as well as being a flautist and concertina player. Scully gave lessons to Junior Crehan, as did Scully’s cousin, the noted dance master Thady Casey. Bobby in turn learned much of his playing from Junior Crehan and the two remained lifelong friends. Bobby was also influenced by the playing of Michael Coleman, Michael Gorman, and Frank O’Higgins. Along with Willie Clancy he went to Dublin in about 1950 where he met, among others, John Kelly and the Potts family. He moved to London around 1952. He was a regular at the Sunday morning sessions in the Favourite and Bedford Arms pubs, which became rallying points for Irish musicians and rural emigrants in the 1960s. With Seamus Ennis, he performed at the first Willie Clancy Summer School in 1973, and returned frequently to Miltown Malbay to give classes, noted for their informal style. In later years he moved from London to live in Northampton. Casey died on the 13th May 2000, and is buried in his native Clare. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.