Seán Seery, who has died aged 76, was one of the unsung heroes of the Irish traditional music revival. A first-class uilleann piper whose forte was the slow air, he was a stalwart of the Dublin Pipers' Club in the 1940s and gave freely of his time to teach piping in the decades that followed.
A bricklayer by trade, piping was his lifelong passion. He sought to "improve and develop the traditional style of playing, so raising Irish hearts, as Irish feet are raised by the graceful Irish dance".
He was born on June 9th 1926, the son of Jim Seery and his wife Julia (née Moran). The family originally lived in Harold's Cross and later moved to Stoneybatter. Seán was educated by the Christian Brothers at Brunswick Street.
His father, who worked in Guinness's brewery, was an accomplished fiddle-player and a founding member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Immersed in Irish music from an early age, Seán was introduced to the uilleann pipes by a piper and pipe-maker, John Clarke, who was a workmate of his father's.
When he was 16 he began attending classes at the Municipal School of Music where he was taught by the renowned piper, Leo Rowsome.
His exceptional talent was evident from the start. He was invited to play with the celebrated Leo Rowsome Quartet and, from the late 1940s into the 1950s, he regularly played with the quartet in the company of Willie Clancy, Séamus Ennis and Jack Wade.
He featured in many Raidió Éireann broadcasts, both with the quartet and as a soloist. During 1948 and 1949 he won piping competitions at the Oireachtas, the Feis Cheoil and Feis Átha Cliath.
While Leo Rowsome made a lasting impression on him, Seán Seery greatly admired other pipers such as Felix and Johnny Doran, Brother Gildas, Tommy Reck and Mícheál Ó Riabhaigh as well as Clancy, Ennis and Wade.
In the 1950s he played with the Kincora Céilí Band.
Other members included Sonny Brogan, Joe Cooley, Paddy Treacy and Seán Potts.
Seán Seery was leader when the band won the senior competition at the 1958 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Longford.
He was a mainstay of the famous Sunday morning music sessions in Slattery's of Capel Street in the 1960s. A musician's musician, he enjoyed playing for and with his peers.
He was generous with his time, particularly where younger musicians were concerned, and would often interrupt a tune to explain a difficult passage of music to a fellow musician.
He toured Brittany in 1948 and took part in Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann tours of North America in 1973 and of Britain in 1974.
He was also a member of a Comhaltas group that performed in Moscow and Leningrad in 1978.
His last major concert performance was in The Ace and Deuce of Piping which brought together Ireland's top pipers at the National Concert Hall in 1993.
He treasured the set of pipes that he bought from Leo Rowsome in the 1940s. He maintained them in excellent condition, making his own reeds, and ensured that they were always in tune.
When illness forced him to cease playing, he passed them on to a former pupil, Fergus Finnegan.
He was sociable and a great storyteller, with a mischievous sense of humour. He was in his element when deep in conversation, with a pint of stout in front of him and another inside him.
He is survived by his wife Mary (née Connick); daughters Deirdre, Sheila, Noreen and Fidelma; and sister Eileen.
Seán Seery: born June 9th, 1926; died November 27th, 2002