Patrick Fitzpatrick uilleann

Lives of the Pipers Home

Patrick Fitzpatrick

performer, bandleader; commercial recordings exist

b. Carrigallen, Leitrim, Ireland circa 1860
d. New York City May 2, 1936


Taken from O'Neill, Francis Irish Minstrels and Musicians Chicago 1913 p. 321


Francis O'Neill is likely to have have met Patrick Fitzpatrick and in his book Irish Minstrels and Musicians has a lovely thumbnail sketch of the man:

Irish Minstrels and Musicians was published in 1913, so this is O'Neill's latest information. Much of it is unverifiable, O'Neill the only source. For the information that can be elsewhere confirmed O'Neill is not wrong.

Pat Fitzpatrick was born at Carrigallen, baptized July 1, 1860, parents John Fitzpatrick and Mary Ingoldsby (his death certificate says he was born around 1867, mother's maiden name Galoughy). He immigrated to the United States in 1882. His wife to be, Catherine, emigrated the same year. She was born in Scotland, so perhaps they met during his "five years' stay." They married in 1884 or thereabouts.

O'Neill says that Fitzpatrick had a "splendid instrument" made by the Taylor brothers of Philadelphia. It was made under his "supervision" and no pains were spared. Best evidence is that the Taylor brothers were not active after 1891, which implies that before that year Fitzpatrick had the resources to pay for such an expensive set.

Earliest mention of Fitzpatrick as a musician is at a picnic in New Rochelle, New York, a town not far from New York City, August 1893, where he is described as "the celebrated Irish piper of Celtic Hall, New York." O'Neill wrote that Fitzpatrick "built" Celtic Hall in 1892. A newspaper announcement from 1923 says that Celtic Hall "was the name given it 30 odd years ago by Prof. Fitzpatrick, the Irish piper, who built it." In the 1900 US Census his occupation is listed as "Liquor Dealer," and this may be how he earned the money to build the hall. In all subsequent censuses, beginning in 1905, his occupation is "Musician."

From 1902 forward Fitzpatrick was often playing musical engagements in New York City and the Northeast. By October 1913 Celtic Hall had a Mr. Peter Ward as proprietor, but Fitzpatrick's relationship to the Hall, whatever it was, may have been severed long before. By the way, Celtic Hall and its successors at 446 West 54th Street, Manhattan, had a long history. In 1923-24 it was run by piper Tom Ennis and at first called "Ennis' Pleasant Hour Hall," later "Tom Ennis' Celtic Hall."

On April 1, 1902 Fitzpatrick played at the Gaelic Society's annual "Feis Ceoil agus Seanachas" at Lenox Hall, NYC. This was a very prestigious concert, attended by the elite of the Irish-American community. It might have been a career highlight for Fitzpatrick. Pat Touhey played pipes at this concert in 1901, 03 and 04. Fitzpatrick did not play it a second time.

In 1904 the St. Brendan Branch of the New York Gaelic Society wanted to organize a formal ball in which the band, or orchestra, was of only Irish musicians and the music only Irish. Descriptions of the event allege that "For the first time in the history of Irish balls held in this city, the music as well as the players were exclusively Irish, making a grand example which the other organizations would do well to follow." Fitzpatrick was in charge of the music. He organized the band, but found that there was no sheet music set to the available instruments. Fitzpatrick was "unable to bear the expense" of having suitable airs arranged and copied, but the society authorized the expenditure. This formal ball was a success. Over 150 couples participated in the Grand March, to the tune of "The Return From Fingal."

Fitzpatrick must have had some networking and organizational ability, for engagements as bandleader followed. In 1906 his name and address was on a list of "Musicians," mostly bandleaders, in the Irish American Advocate, a weekly newspaper in New York: "Fitzpatrick, P., 155 W. 108th St." This was his home address at the time.

Most of his appearances, those mentioned in newspapers, were not in bands, but as a solo player or as one of two or three musicians playing for dancers. Sometimes playing for exhibition dancers, and more often for crowds of dancers attending a dance, picnic, or other social event. He was active, mostly in the New York City area, until the 1930s, with his last known engagement at a St. Patrick's Day Ball in New York City in 1936.

In this place and in this era, most large dances for the Irish American community had music for both "American" and Irish dancing, some times alternatively, sometimes in separate rooms. Most references to Fitzpatrick in this context are to him, or his group, supplying music for the Irish dances. Occasionally he and his orchestra provided music for the American dancing, and another group furnished the Irish music.

Here are some examples of dances where he played Irish music: The Perogative Social Club, April 1912; Grand Annual Ball of the Clare Young Men of the Banner County Social Club, March 1913; The Irish Ball of 1922; County Leitrim Association, Inc. Grand Annual St. Patrick's Celebration and Ball, 1935. He played some annual events several years running; for example, the Irish-American Automobile Operator's Club Ball in 1918, 1919, 1923 and 1924.

In 1910-11 Fitzpatrick toured the Northeast in a vaudeville act with dancer Paddy Long, "Fitzpatrick & Long." O'Neill writes that the two were with the play "Top o' the Mornin' " in 1913. This play, by Anne Caldwell, was on the road in late 1912-early 1913, but no reference to the play, besides O'Neill's, mentions a piper or dancer.

Fitzpatrick visited recording studios in 1917, and perhaps later, and put down at least six tracks. They were released as 78rpm records. Some may be found in CD compilations of old piping, or as sound files on the Internet. The piping is not at the highest level, and with peculiarly emphatic regulator playing.

Fitzpatrick's wife Catherine died sometime between 1925 and 1930. From at least 1930 he was living with his niece Mary on West 98th Street in Manhattan. He died May 2, 1936. He suffered from arteriosclerosis and apparently did not recover from amputation of his right leg in February 1936. Fitzpatrick was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Woodside, Queens, New York.

His set of Taylor pipes passed to Martin Beirne, then Tom Standeven. Standeven gave the chanter to William Fitzpatrick, a nephew of Patrick Fitzpatrick two times removed.


Selected References

"Celtic Hall Resumes Old Name" [Fitzpatrick built and named Celtic Hall] NY Advocate Sep. 29, 1923 p. 2 column 2
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1922-1924 - 0805.pdf

Charm, Wally "A Taylor Ivory Chanter" Pipers' Review vol. 21 no. 1 Winter 2002 pp. 6-7
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=1036&mediaId=26384

"Gaelic Society's Festival" New York Sun March 31, 1902 p. 4 column 5
New York NY Sun 1902 Jan-Dec Grayscale - 1300.pdf

"The Hibernian's Picnic." New Rochelle [NY] Pioneer Aug. 19, 1893 p. 1 column 4
New Rochelle NY Pioneer 1889 - 1895 Grayscale - 1144.pdf

"An Irish Hand Me Down at the Olympic Theatre." Chicago [IL] Daily Tribune Jan 22, 1913 p. 10 column 1
Chicago Il Tribune 1913 - 0621.pdf

Johnson, Thomas "Johnson's Uilleann Pipes Site" [discography]
http://steampacket.ownit.nu accessed Jan. 2018.

"Musicians." NY Irish American Advocate Jan. 13, 1906 p. 4 column 7
From microfilm from New York State Library.

O'Neill, Francis Irish Minstrels and Musicians Chicago 1913 pp. 320-21

"Patrick FitzPatrick, c. 1860 - c. 1938, New York" Barry O'Neill notebook no. 2, early 1970s, p. 43

"Second annual Irish ball held by the St Brendan Branch of the Gaelic League." NYC Gaelic American May 7, 1904 p. 4 column 6 also p. 8 column 2
From microfilm at New York Public Library.

Nick Whitmer
July 2018, additions Oct. 2018, Oct. 2023