Irish Piper Seamus Ennis Featured at Newport Folk Festival in July 1964

Seamus Ennis, one of Ireland's most inspirational traditional Irish musicians, performed at the 5th Annual Newport Folk Festival on July 23-26, 1964. He was 45 years old.

Ennis was a featured artist on opening night on Thursday, July 23, where he performed the uilleann pipes, told stories and sang Irish songs as part of a traditional folk program. He was joined by Mississippi John Hurt, Muddy Waters, Doc Watson, the Nova Scotia Singers and the Stanley Brothers.

Then on Saturday night, Ennis joined the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys, Judy Collins, Peter Paul and Mary and the Osborne Brothers on the main concert stage.

Other performers during the weekend included Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, the Jug band, the Staple Singers and the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

Founded in 1959 by jazz pianist and music impresario George Wein, the Newport Folk Festival has become the world's premier festival devoted to folk and traditional music from hundreds of traditions around the world. This year's Newport Folk Festival is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a Newport Folk Revival concert is being streamed on July 31- August 3, 2020.

Find out more about Seamus Ennis by visiting the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul, Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland.

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