Nicholas Burke facts for kids
Nicholas Burke was an Irish musician born in 1837. He was known for playing the uilleann pipes, a special type of bagpipe.
Nicholas was born in a place called Annaghdown in Ireland. When he was a young man, he moved to the United States. He settled in Brooklyn, New York. In New York, he worked as a carpenter. He was very skilled at drawing plans and became a successful builder.
Nicholas was also a very talented uilleann piper. He mostly played his music for himself and his friends. He often played at his own home.
Helping to Preserve Music History
Nicholas Burke was very important to Captain Francis O'Neill. Captain O'Neill was collecting information about Irish musicians from the 1800s. Nicholas knew many of these pipers.
When Captain O'Neill explained his project, Nicholas was happy to help. He wrote many pages of stories and facts about other pipers. He shared details about musicians that Captain O'Neill knew little about. Nicholas also gave extra information about pipers already on O'Neill's list. Because of his help, Nicholas Burke is sometimes called the "Plutarch of the pipers." This means he was a great historian for musicians.
See also
- Uilleann pipes
- Séamus Ennis (1919–1982), piper
- Martin O'Reilly (1829–1904), piper
- William Connolly (piper) (born 1839)
