Dan Milner
Encyclopedia
Dan Milner is a singer of traditional Irish songs in North America.
The Milner family moved frequently following World War II, the result being that Dan grew up in far-flung localities including Birmingham
, Ballybunion
, Toronto
and Brooklyn
. Both Dan's parents were musical; his mother (Nora Milner nee Cremin of Brosna, Co. Kerry) being a keen set dancer, and his father (William Milner of Birmingham, England), a fine singer.
William Milner was raised by his mother and maternal grandfather, Patrick McKay of Ennis, County Clare from whom he learned his first traditional songs. Dan picked up some of some of that repertoire, a musical melange including “Skibbereen,” “The Wild Rover” and traditional ballads like “Barbara Allen” as well as Fenian and Republican pieces like “McCaffery” and “Kevin Barry.” Along with his elder brother, Liam, Dan learned these plus Thomas Moore songs and Irish-American lyrics from Tin Pan Alley. He writes, "Though they came from different places and time periods, I link them together as Irish national songs in the sense that, individual taste aside, Irish people would agree they all are part of the country’s national heritage and consciousness".
Milner has continued to lengthen his song list from the early 1960s through the present decade, learning Irish "big" ballads; and maritime, Canadian and Irish-American songs from all manner of sources including field recordings, original and secondary printed matter, and from many other singers. In New York City, he was fortunate to become well acquainted with two venerated older Irish songsters: Joe Heaney of Carna, Co. Galway and the celebrated Traveler, Margaret Barry of Cork City. Other early influences include Ewan MacColl, Dominic Behan and The Clancy Brothers.
He is a founding member of The Flying Cloud, who played at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 1977 and recorded one LP for Adelphi Records
the same year.
Dan Milner has recorded with musicians including Louis Killen, Mick Moloney, and 8 All-Ireland champions.
In 2009, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, an arm of the Smithsonian Institution, America's national museum, released "Irish Pirate Ballads and Other Songs of the Sea," which features many of Irish America's foremost musicians and singers, including John Doyle, Joanie Madden
, Susan McKeown, Mick Moloney, Brian Conway, Gabriel Donohue and Robbie O'Connell
. Irish Music magazine called the recording " "A tour de force... impeccably researched folk music with a big Irish heart..." Dirty Linen magazine wrote, "Milner is a compelling storyteller in song... a powerful narrative singer" and Time Out New York called him "A folksinger's folksinger". Dan is also featured on Brian Conway's 2008 CD, "Consider the Source."
Many of Milner's reviews and feature magazine articles have been published by Irish Music (Ireland) and The Living Tradition (Scotland) magazines. In the USA, he has written for The Log of Mystic Seaport, New York Irish History, Seaport, The Journal of New York Folklore and Sing Out! Other credits include The Bonnie Bunch of Roses, a classic book of 150 Irish and British folk songs (Oak Publications, 1983), and three acclaimed CDs produced for Folk-Legacy Records
. He has taught at Yeshiva University
, New York's Irish Arts Center and Augusta Heritage Center
Irish Week at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia, and appeared on the radio in Ireland (RTÉ), England (BBC), Scotland (Celtic Music Radio) and the USA (NPR).
The Milner family moved frequently following World War II, the result being that Dan grew up in far-flung localities including Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Ballybunion
Ballybunion
Ballybunion or Ballybunnion is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland, from the town of Listowel. There are castle ruins near the town, although all that remains is a single wall, and two golf courses in the area including the famous Ballybunion Golf Club, a top class Links...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Both Dan's parents were musical; his mother (Nora Milner nee Cremin of Brosna, Co. Kerry) being a keen set dancer, and his father (William Milner of Birmingham, England), a fine singer.
William Milner was raised by his mother and maternal grandfather, Patrick McKay of Ennis, County Clare from whom he learned his first traditional songs. Dan picked up some of some of that repertoire, a musical melange including “Skibbereen,” “The Wild Rover” and traditional ballads like “Barbara Allen” as well as Fenian and Republican pieces like “McCaffery” and “Kevin Barry.” Along with his elder brother, Liam, Dan learned these plus Thomas Moore songs and Irish-American lyrics from Tin Pan Alley. He writes, "Though they came from different places and time periods, I link them together as Irish national songs in the sense that, individual taste aside, Irish people would agree they all are part of the country’s national heritage and consciousness".
Milner has continued to lengthen his song list from the early 1960s through the present decade, learning Irish "big" ballads; and maritime, Canadian and Irish-American songs from all manner of sources including field recordings, original and secondary printed matter, and from many other singers. In New York City, he was fortunate to become well acquainted with two venerated older Irish songsters: Joe Heaney of Carna, Co. Galway and the celebrated Traveler, Margaret Barry of Cork City. Other early influences include Ewan MacColl, Dominic Behan and The Clancy Brothers.
He is a founding member of The Flying Cloud, who played at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 1977 and recorded one LP for Adelphi Records
Adelphi Records
Adelphi Records is a US record label founded in 1968 by Gene and Carol Rosenthal.Musicians on that label are The Nighthawks and Catfish Hodge , Lenny Breau, Reuben Brown and Richie Cole , Yellowman, Big Youth and Toots & the Maytals , Rev. Gary Davis, Gene Johnson [Rock & Soul], and Rev...
the same year.
Dan Milner has recorded with musicians including Louis Killen, Mick Moloney, and 8 All-Ireland champions.
In 2009, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, an arm of the Smithsonian Institution, America's national museum, released "Irish Pirate Ballads and Other Songs of the Sea," which features many of Irish America's foremost musicians and singers, including John Doyle, Joanie Madden
Joanie Madden
Joanie Madden is an Irish-American flute and whistle player of Irish Traditional Music. She is best known as leader of the all-female group Cherish the Ladies, but has also recorded and performed with numerous other musicians, and as a solo artist. She also teaches master classes and...
, Susan McKeown, Mick Moloney, Brian Conway, Gabriel Donohue and Robbie O'Connell
Robbie O'Connell
-Life:Robbie was born in Waterford and grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, where his parents had a small hotel. He spent a year touring folk clubs in England before enrolling at University College Dublin where he studied Literature and Philosophy. Being a newphew of the Clancy Brothers,...
. Irish Music magazine called the recording " "A tour de force... impeccably researched folk music with a big Irish heart..." Dirty Linen magazine wrote, "Milner is a compelling storyteller in song... a powerful narrative singer" and Time Out New York called him "A folksinger's folksinger". Dan is also featured on Brian Conway's 2008 CD, "Consider the Source."
Many of Milner's reviews and feature magazine articles have been published by Irish Music (Ireland) and The Living Tradition (Scotland) magazines. In the USA, he has written for The Log of Mystic Seaport, New York Irish History, Seaport, The Journal of New York Folklore and Sing Out! Other credits include The Bonnie Bunch of Roses, a classic book of 150 Irish and British folk songs (Oak Publications, 1983), and three acclaimed CDs produced for Folk-Legacy Records
Folk-Legacy Records
Folk-Legacy Records is an independent recording company specializing in traditional and contemporary folk music of the English-speaking world. It was founded in 1961 by Sandy and Caroline Paton along with the late Lee Baker Haggerty...
. He has taught at Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, New York's Irish Arts Center and Augusta Heritage Center
Augusta Heritage Center
Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia, is a non-profit organization which fosters the scholarly study and practice of traditional arts in music, dance, craft, and folklore....
Irish Week at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia, and appeared on the radio in Ireland (RTÉ), England (BBC), Scotland (Celtic Music Radio) and the USA (NPR).
Discography
- Irish Ballads & Songs of the Sea (1998)
- Irish in America (2001)
- Irish Songs from Old New England (2003), Folk-Legacy RecordsFolk-Legacy RecordsFolk-Legacy Records is an independent recording company specializing in traditional and contemporary folk music of the English-speaking world. It was founded in 1961 by Sandy and Caroline Paton along with the late Lee Baker Haggerty...
- Irish Pirate Ballads (2009), Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...