Wynne, Martin, 1913-1998
Dates
- Existence: 1913 - 1998
Biographical Note
Martin Wynne was born in 1913 in Bunninadden, County Sligo. He began playing the melodeon around age ten and picked up the violin a couple of years later. His fiddle repertoire included tunes learned from Philip O'Beirne, whose son Jim (Lad) would later become one of Wynne's musical friends in New York. Wynne composed several tunes and performed in ceili bands in England before immigrating to the U.S. in 1948. He spent time in Cleveland and Buffalo and then settled in New York City. As an exponent of the Sligo fiddle style he became an integral part of traditional Irish music circles as a performer and a teacher. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann's branch in Buffalo, New York, was founded in 1995 and named for him. In 1996 he received a Hall of Fame award from CCÉ's Northeast Region. He died in 1998.
Source:
Festival program, Boston College "My Love is in America" Irish fiddle festival records, IM.M003.1990, John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
"Martin Wynne". Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Mid-Atlantic Region website "Hall of Fame" honorees. Accessed on July 24, 2025.
"Martin Wynne". Irish Traditional Music Archive "Post World War II" musicians pages. Accessed on July 24, 2025.
Valley, Fintan. Companion to Irish Traditional Music. 2nd ed., Substantially revised : Expanded. Cork: Cork University Press, 2011.
General Context
Note that although a couple of sources give Wynne's birth year as 1916, we have chosen 1913 based on multiple sources including Wynne's own recollections as printed in 1990 in M. Ó Súilleabháin's "My Love Is in America" Festival Program, and Wynne's comments in the CCE Mid Atlantic Hall of Fame bio, i.e., that he "missed" Coleman by three years, twice.
Found in 20 Collections and/or Records:
Bridget Wynne, Martin Wynne, audio recording, undated
Inside label says this is instead Joe Bowd Tansey and a 17-year-old accordion player from Sligo
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and cannot be reformatted by Burns Library at this time. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; when it becomes possible we will schedule reformatting.
Concert, 1990 March 25
Performances by invited fiddle players Kevin Burke, Liz Carroll, Seamus Connolly, Brian Conway, Johnny Cronin, Paddy Cronin, Tony De Marco, Martin Hayes, Eileen Ivers, James Kelly, Andy McGann, Johnny McGreevy, Brendan Mulvihill, Paddy Reynolds, Dale Russ, Martin Wynne, with Mel Mercier on bodhran and bones. Held in Boston College's Gasson Hall.
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Jim Morrison, Ennis, Muller, John Brennan, Tommy Hunt, Michael Coleman, Tommy Reck, Martin Wynne, Lad O'Beirne, Patsy Cawley, audio recording, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and cannot be reformatted by Burns Library at this time. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; when it becomes possible we will schedule reformatting.
Martin Wynne and Bridget Wynne at a music club in New York and McCormick's, audio recording, 1958
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Martin Wynne and Bridget Wynne, audio recording, 1987 May 16
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Martin Wynne, Bridget Wynne, Lad O'Beirne, Terry Wallace, Pat Reynolds, Andy McGann, audio recording, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Martin Wynne, Lad O'Beirne, Andy McGann, Pat Reynolds, Bridget Wynne, Michael Coleman, Patsy Cawley, Dick Brennan, Tommie Hunt, audio recording, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Martin Wynne, Michael Coleman, Brooklyn Music Club, and others, audio recording, 1992 July
Performers include Brian Conway, Martin Wynne, Lad O'Beirne, Paddy Killoran, Mike Flynn, Brooklyn Music Club, Andy Conroy, Andy Horan, Michael Coleman
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Martin Wynne, Tom O'Rourke, Bridget Wynne, audio recording, 1957
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Martin Wynne, Tom O'Rourke, Bridget Wynne, audio recording, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and cannot be reformatted by Burns Library at this time. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; when it becomes possible we will schedule reformatting.
Martin Wynne, Tom O'Rourke, Joe Derrane, Paddy Cronin, Frank Neylon, Hugh Gillespie, audio recording, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Martin Wynne, Tommy Finn, and Bridget Wynne, audio recording, 1958
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
Music Promenade, 1990 March 25
The Promenade included the festival fiddle players and the Set Dancers of the Boston branch of Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann.
2:30 p.m. Fiddle session with invited fiddle players
3:30 p.m. Set Dancing with Larry Reynolds and Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann
4:30 p.m. Open session
These recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Pat Reynolds, Lad O'Beirne, Martin Wynne, Terry Wallace, Andy McGann, Leo Rowsome, audio recording, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and cannot be reformatted by Burns Library at this time. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; when it becomes possible we will schedule reformatting.
Radio show with Martin Wynne and Bridget Wynne, audio recording, 1993 December
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and have not been reformatted.
"The Martin Wynne Collection", audio recordings, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings have been digitally copied. Box 18 contains all original media, which may not be played due to format. Digital use copies, identified by digital content number, can be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Tommy Finn, Bridget Wynne, Martin Wynne, audio recording, undated
Audiovisual recordings of performances and sessions by Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, many of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
These recordings are not available for playback due to format impermanence and cannot be reformatted by Burns Library at this time. Please let Burns Library Public Services know of your specific interest; when it becomes possible we will schedule reformatting.
Wynne, Martin - newspaper clippings, 1988
Newspaper clippings, oral histories, photographs, and other materials about prominent Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, most of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
Wynne, Martin - photographs, undated
Newspaper clippings, oral histories, photographs, and other materials about prominent Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, most of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).
Wynne, Martin - photographs and newspaper clippings, 1996-2006
Newspaper clippings, oral histories, photographs, and other materials about prominent Irish dancers, musicians, and storytellers, most of whom were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).