Charlie Lennon recorded more than over 50 albums in his lifetime, both as a fiddle player and as a piano accompanist. Photograph: Marc O’Sullivan/OSD photo agencyFor a musician whose tunes are now embedded in the fabric of Irish traditional music, Charlie Lennon made no secret of the fact that he was still learning about music well into his ninth decade.
Charlie Lennon in St Patrick's Church in Kiltyclogher, Co Leitrim, where both himself and Seán MacDiarmada, one of the 1916 Rising leaders were baptised, preparing for the first performance of Áille na hÁille/A Terrible Beauty. Photograph: Brian Farrell Notwithstanding his evident musical prowess, Lennon was later persuaded by his brothers to return to education, and he completed his O and A levels by correspondence course, which led to his pursuit of a degree in Mathematics in the University of Liverpool at the age of 22. He excelled academically and went on to receive his PhD in nuclear physics in 1969.
Lennon played regularly with Matt Molloy, Mick O’Connor, Johnny Connolly, Joe Burke and many others, and his tunes were sought out by musicians such as Frankie Gavin when they were planning sets for album recordings. O’Connor added: “As an accompanist on piano, he developed a whole new approach and standard to supporting the melody player, combining his deep understanding of the melody with a wonderful harmonic awareness.”