The Farrell, McKenna story
I am a third great grandson of Thomas Farrell and Katherine McKenna, who arrived in New Orleans three days apart in November 1848 as very young adults escaping the Irish holocaust. In 1850 they were living and working in the same section of New Orleans, he as a laborer and she as a laundress. They were married in 1852 and had one son before Thomas died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1853. Their Catholic heritage was passed along, but very little of Irish culture, and specifically none of the music or song. My Grandmother Farrell loved music, especially Gilbert and Sullivan.
I first heard traditional Irish music in 1988. I fell in love with the music and just had to play it. As a former clarinet and sax player, I picked up the penny whistle easily and began learning the tunes slowly. After a bit I added Irish flute.
I soon began volunteering at our local independent radio station, answering phones and taking requests on the night when a "Music of the British Isles" program was broadcast. One night at the studio a duo was playing live on the air to publicize their band's upcoming pub gig. The duo was flute and harp. Long story short, I fell in love with the harpist, Therese Honey, and we have now been married thirty years. Needless to say, we have loved every minute of our many trips to Ireland.
Therese and I play as a duo, locally and at Irish festivals like the Milwaukee and the North Texas. During the Covid lockdown we played out on our front drive in the evenings for our socially distanced neighbors, who would bring their lawn chairs or blankets, kids, snacks and beverages. This helped keep us sane, keep our "chops" up, and meet new neighbors. Bits of several of these outings were videoed and are up on Facebook and can be searched and found under the hashtag #LiveInTheDrive.
Around 2010 my young fiddle playing friend, Diehl Moran and I looked around the local Irish music sessions and realized there weren't any young players. Diehl had joined the session at age 12, but he was the only youngster. We decided to start a Houston School of Irish Music, hoping to pass along the fun to more youngsters. Our first classes were in 2012, and the school is still going. From the start, our Houston school has been a part of the School of Irish Music, a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization headquartered in McKinney, Texas that good friends of ours started and invited us to become a part of.
The School has been fortunate to find a home at the the William J. Flynn Center for Irish Studies at the University of St. Thomas, in Houston. The Flynn Center has worked with us over the years to help coordinate our school activities with the University's schedule.
In 2016 another Irish music friend, Shawn Cayson, and I began discussing why Houston did not have its own Irish music festival and how we might get one started. Our discussions evolved into our Gulf Coast Cruinniú, a weekend gathering held at University of St. Thomas in early June, again in coordination with the Flynn Center. The 7th annual Cruinniú, took place in June 2026, bringing in a dozen instructor/performers from all over the States and Ireland. Our yearly attendance has grown to 90-100, and our Friday night Ceili and Saturday night All-Star concert are big hits. The Cruinniú began as a project of the Houston School of Irish Music, but it has rapidly has grown to have its own independent Planning Board of volunteers.
Additonally, five of my music friends and I formed a traditional Irish band, The Jig Is Up, in 2009. For ten years we played frequently at regional festivals and concerts. We recorded three CDs of traditional music that are up on the major streaming services. They include a few tunes that I composed. We also did two tours, visiting Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama and North Carolina playing house concerts and smaller venues.
Why would an American of multiple ancestries have an affinity for Irish music? Did I inherit it from my Irish ancestors, Farrell and McKenna? If you will recall, the earliest instructional book for uillean pipes was published by a Mr. O'Farrell, and quite a famous Irish flute player who recorded back in the 20s and 30s was John McKenna. Coincidence? Maybe.