Collection RHA-18788 - Robbie Hannan Collection

Hannan, Robbie. (1961– ). Uilleann pipes. Born in Belfast and raised in the nearby town of Hollywood, Co. Down, he took an interest in traditional music in his early teens and started to learn the pipes at the age of fifteen. The Fermanagh piper Seán McAloon was a great source of encouragement and the piping of Séamus Ennis, Willie Clancy and Tommy Reck were influential in his playing. Other influences have been his interest in Co. Donegal fiddle playing and the Irish-language song tradition. His recordings include two solo albums and a duet album with the fiddler Paddy Glackin. A graduate of QUB, where he studied Celtic languages and literature and Law, he presented The Long Note on RTÉ Radio 1984–5 and has presented a number of traditional music series on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and BBC Radio Ulster. He was appointed curator of musicology in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in 1995 and since 2008 has held the position of head of folk life and agriculture in the same institution. He has been chair of Na Píobairí Uilleann since 2006.