Better Late than Never: Irish and Traditional Songs by Maine Singer and Fiddler Kevin McElroy

Musician and singer Kevin McElroy of Maine is well regarded around New England for his skill as an instrumentalist and singer, his knowledge of Irish traditional music, and his work as a restorer of antique instruments, particularly the violin. 

 His latest CD, Better Late than Never: Irish + Traditional Songs, will further cement his reputation and popularity in the Irish traditional music community. The CD includes 10 tracks with some gorgeous songs and tunes, a few of them rare, and others well-known. We asked Kevin about the song selections. 

 “The ages of the songs vary greatly, from "Polly Vaughan" which comes from an old 17th century ballad, to "The Moving on Song" which is a composition of the famous Ewan McColl. "Paddy, the Cockney and the Ass” I learned from the late, great Tom Lenihan from West Clare when I was in my late teens and on my first visit to Ireland. It was the song that Irish fiddler Larry Reynolds regularly requested of me,” McElroy says. “Some songs move me with their history, some with a tender story. Other songs I simply like the melody. However, they are all songs I’ve heard sung in the Irish tradition. Having grown up in Massachusetts, I heard very little Irish, so I lean toward songs in English.” 

The CD cover itself is remarkable, and includes a photo of Kevin’s great grandfather, who was born in Fermanagh and emigrated as an infant with his family to Charlestown. He was 19 when he enlisted during the Civil War. “He was a Captain in the Jackson Guard in Charlestown, and the photo is his company at the centennial celebration of the battle of Bunker Hill in 1775,” McElroy says. The Jackson Guard was an Irish militia company attached to the 9th Irish Regiment, comprised of mostly Irish immigrants and Irish-Americans who fought in the American Civil War. 

A long-time staple of Irish traditional music sessions around Boston and in Portland, McElroy plays multiple plectrum instruments and is accomplished as a singer too. He credits his singing teachers Frank Harte, Mick Moloney, Sean Corcoran on the liner notes, and his Great-Aunt Ella McElroy, “whose stories and songs initially piqued my interest in Irish music.” 

He is joined on the CD by two outstanding musicians, Kieran O’Hare on uilleann pipes and whistle, and Gerry O’Connor of Dundalk on fiddle, with whom he tours with up and down the Eastern Seaboard. 

McElroy's lifelong commitment to music extends to his profession as an instrument restorer. “I studied violin making, with a concentration on restoration of antique violins and it is fair to say I have worked in the trade for 30 years. I sold my company, Frost Gully Violins, to one of my employees 9 years ago and now work independently as a restorer of antique instruments in Portland." 

For more details, visit mcelroyviolins.com