Richie Piggott

Richie Piggott, originally from Cobh, Co Cork, Ireland, is now living in Chicago, USA for more than twenty years. His father, Johnny Piggott, was an accordion player from Dooks, near Glenbeigh. Co Kerry and his mother, Margaret Flannery, was from Dingle, Co Kerry whose family were intimately involved in the marching bands of Dingle down through the years. His brother, Charlie, was a founder-member of De Dannan and continues to play Irish music professionally today. Although not a musician himself, Richie’s love of Irish music has led to a life-long collection of Irish music books and music manuscripts and a deep interest in the history of Irish traditional musicians. For the past 10 years, Richie’s focus is on the history of the lives and music of Irish immigrants in Chicago and the surrounding area, over the past one hundred years. He has contributed several historical recordings and manuscripts to the Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) and to the Piper’s Club, Na Píobairí Uilleann (NPU) in Dublin, Ireland and he has delivered many presentations on his work throughout Chicago and in Ireland over the past few years.