| Familiar with the name "Francis O'Neill"? The | | | | Little had been written transcribed in written form. |
| current wave of interest in Celtic music owes him | | | | O'Neill did not read music -- he played by ear -- |
| a great debt -- he's the person who collected and | | | | but he became convinced of the value of saving |
| published the music for thousands of Celtic tunes, | | | | Celtic tunes for prosperity by transcribing them |
| making them available to musicians all over the | | | | into musical notation for future generations. With |
| world. | | | | the help of a fiddling seargeant in the Chicago |
| O'Neill was born in 1848 in Ireland. When he was | | | | police department who did read music, he |
| 16, he emigrated to the United States. During his | | | | managed to do so. He would play the tunes he |
| life, he was a rancher, a teacher, a Chicago | | | | had learned from other musicians; the sergeant |
| policeman, and fathered ten children. He also | | | | would transcribe them into musical notation. |
| played the flute! | | | | By the time O'Neill died in 1936, he had collected |
| O'Neill (also known as "Chief O'Neill") loved Celtic | | | | and transcribed nearly 3,500 tunes -- many of |
| music. At that time, the music was passed down | | | | them dating back hundreds and hundreds of |
| tune at a time from one musician to another. | | | | years! |