John Gillespie

John Gillespie

John (Johnny Mhuiris) grew up in Mín an Draighin in the 1920s, a period when the local tradition was particularly strong. He may have been influenced by his uncle, Mick Carr of Mín na Aoire and John, himself a fiddler and melodeon player often played at school dances in the locality along with his friend and fiddler, Paddy McGinley (Paddy ‘Pearl’) of Mín na Croise. A good carpenter, John worked for a number of years with Jim William Cunningham’s construction company, but later migrated to Belfast where he was employed in the Harland & Wolff shipyards.