Fr Alo Connaughton attended the launch of a new album of Columban Missionary and piano accordion player Fr PJ Kelly’s music. He recalls how the Far East magazine played a role in preserving some of Fr PJ’s traditional tunes and how the new album is bringing his compositions to a new generation.
Musicians young and old who play traditional Irish music are familiar with tunes called ‘Fr Kelly’s Jig’ or ‘Fr Kelly’s Reel’. They are session favourites. The first was given the name ‘The Lough Derg Jig’ by the Fr Kelly in question; the second he called ‘The Rossmore Jetty’.
The composer and piano accordion player Fr PJ Kelly was a native of Woodford Co Galway. He joined the Missionary Society of St Columban and was ordained a priest in Dalgan in 1950. In his younger days in St Joseph’s, Garbally Park, Ballinasloe he was a champion athlete and a good hurler. He was also a talented musician.
Fr PJ Kelly was a member of the first group of Columban missionaries sent to Fiji in the South Pacific. He spent 18 happy years there, six of which he worked as Columban director. Then he was appointed back to Ireland for 10 years where he served two terms as Columban director. After that it was on to Australia for six years followed by Pakistan for ten years.
Original manuscript of ‘Fr Kelly’s Reel’ or ‘The Rossmore Jetty’.
Fifty-three years after his ordination he returned to St Columban’s in Dalgan and was involved in planning an extension to the Columban retirement home. Once again, he had the opportunity to get involved in the world of traditional music.
During his years of voluntary exile his love of music remained alive but much of his best traditional tunes were composed during the long holidays in Ireland home from the mission. He recalled in his later life how he first played ‘The Lough Derg Jig’ a few days after he composed it for a small group of traditional musicians that used to occasionally meet in a house in Cappycun near Woodford, close to the shores of Lough Derg.
The group listened and asked him to play it again, and again … and again! One of the older musicians, Stephen Moloney declared, “That tune will travel!” It did. The traditional music website ‘The Session’ notes that it has been printed in 127 different tune books.
Columban Missionary and traditional music composer Fr PJ Kelly.
When Fr PJ died in 2006 people began to enquire about his music; did he write much? Luckily, through his sister Máire, a manuscript of his collection of compositions, which had been mostly carefully copied by Sr Declan Kelly, found its way to the Far East magazine in Dalgan. In 2007, with the help of Offaly-based Bryan Ryan, these 33 jigs and reels were published with their proper names and notation in a book titled, ‘Fr Kelly’s Favourites’.
While the book sold out over the years, newly available tunes were seldom heard in media. In the world of traditional music, books are an important help, but the music must be known, played and heard to become popular.
In recent months Fr PJ’s compositions have received another boost due to the wonderful talent of East Galway musicians Máirín Fahy, Patsy Broderick and friends who launched ‘Galway to Fiji’, an album of 24 of Fr Kelly’s compositions in CD and digital formats. The album brings to life many tunes that merit the same popularity as the ones already known and loved.
A collection of 33 compositions of piano accordion player, Fr PJ Kelly published by the Far East magazine. “A much sought after publication by collectors and connoisseurs of Irish music.”
There was a packed house in the auditorium of the Mercy College in Woodford last November for the launch of the album with many talented musicians and dancers sharing warm memories of Fr PJ. But the majority of those in the hall were hearing some of his lively tunes for the very first time.
One touching moment saw young students from Woodford College play Fr PJ’s accordion during a rendition of ‘The Rossmore Jetty’, probably his best-known composition. There are 83 listed recordings of this reel, and it is found in 1,349 tune books.
Many years ago, Joe Burke, a famous accordionist and a long-time friend of Fr PJ’s remarked that the tunes had a lovely structure and were suitable for a wide range of instruments. At the Woodford concert, Máirín Fahy echoed a similar sentiment when she said that a musician is tempted to smile when playing Fr PJ’s music.
“There’s just something about it,” she said. Stephen Moloney’s prediction in Cappycun many years ago looks set to be fulfilled again as many of these ‘new’ tunes also deserve to travel.
Fr Alo Connaughton is from Ballinacree, Co Meath. He was a missionary in Chile from 1974 to 1993 and then worked as the Editor of Far East magazine. He later served in Myanmar from 2004 to 2007 and taught at Saengtham College, Bangkok until 2022.
The digital album can be streamed or downloaded (€15) or a CD can be purchased (€20) via this link: https://mairinfahypatsybroderick.bandcamp.com/album/galway-to-fiji-the-music-of-fr-kelly
This article was first published in the March/April 2026 issue of the Far East magazine. To subscribe see: https://columbans.ie/far-east-magazine/
