Tuesday, January 1, 2019
My first memories of Ken go back about 20 years ago. I was playing as the fiddler
in the band "Western Strings" at the Longford Community Centre.
One of the skills that I knew I had to master was playing for the square dancers
lead by a caller. I was nervous about this responsibility.
Ken was the first caller that I played for in that role. He was an excellent caller, very well experienced and remained calm during the entire dance, which in turn had a calming affect, on me.
He must have known that I was "new" to playing for square dancers because he would, by tapping his foot to the beat that he wanted before I began to play,he was giving me the proper tempo.This practice of him tapping his foot went on for a while, about a few months, until one night he did not begin by tapping his foot for me.I knew then that he had the confidence in me to play the proper tempo without his assistance, which in turn, boosted my confidence. I will always be indebted to Ken for that gentle "lesson". At the first opportunity I will gather together fiddlers, to honour Ken,by playing his two favourite tunes that he always asked for to call to- Irishman 's Heart To The Ladies and Uncle Jim. Rest In Peace Ken,You will be missed.
