Pipers Greet Fiddlers at Boston Docks in March 1926

John Wiseman of Bantry Bay and James Scott Skinner of Aberdeen arriving in Boston in March, 1926

On March 21, 1926, two top traditional fiddlers from the British Isles, 82 year old James Scott Skinner of Aberdeen, Scotland and 76 year old John Wiseman of Bantry, County Cork, arrived in Boston Harbor aboard the Cunard liner Carolina. They were here to compete in the World's Old Fiddlers Contest, taking place April 5-10, 1926 in Lewiston, Maine.

Upon their arrival, they were met by a host of fiddlers, pipers and dancers from the Irish and Scottish communities, who serenaded the two musicians and greeted them enthusiastically. Sisters Nora and Violet Twomey, both pipers, posed with the fiddlers on the docks.

Wiseman became ill on the journey over and had to be hospitalized in Boston after he arrived. Despite medical advice, he journeyed to Maine in a car accompanied by two nurses, one of whom stood next to him on stage as he gamely played tunes. Right after the contest, Wiseman returned to the hospital in Boston until he recovered.

Skinner, considered one of the most prominent Scottish fiddlers and composers of his generation, told reporters that "I'm going to America to kill jazz" when he left from the Liverpool docks in March. When he arrived at the competition, he learned that stratsphys were not permitted to be played, and in addition, he had issues with the pianist accompanying him. He walked off the stage.

The eventual winner was 67 year old John Claffey of Boston, a professional musician who had played for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Boston Union of Musicians.

Back in his hospital bed, Wiseman sent his congratulations to the winner, saying, "I'm glad that an Irishman won, even though he lives in Boston."

In the 1920s, Old-Time music and dancing were enthusiastically sponsored by automobile magnate Henry Ford as a way to highlight the traditional culture and values of his rural youth.

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