Jimmy Ward (1908-1987)

Jimmy Ward, born in 1908 in Kilfenora, Co. Clare, was one of the most talented and respected musicians to come out of North Clare, with a musical career spanning seven decades, from the 1920s to the 1980s. He was admired not only for his playing but also for his sharp wit, direct manner, and deep knowledge of the tradition.

Coming from the McMahon/Lynch bloodline, known for producing many great musicians in the Kilfenora area, Jimmy was surrounded by music from a young age. His father, Terence Ward (1869–1961), was a well-known step-dancer, while his mother Bridget O’Loughlin supported a love of music, though she did not play herself. In a family of eleven, Jimmy and his siblings Peg, Tom, and Joe were the ones who took up instruments.

Jimmy began with the tin whistle around 1920, funded by selling eggs with his brother to buy instruments. He then moved to concert flute, then piccolo, and finally found his signature sound on the banjo — famously learning it while recovering flat on his back from a back injury. His distinctive banjo style became well known across Clare and beyond.

I lived in Clogher, a place that madea bit of a name for itself with regards music…I think 12 hours never went past when there wasn’ta 3 or 4playing in one of the houses. Jimmy Ward Interview

Among his earliest influences were John Joe Lynch and Jim Mulqueeney, with John Joe having the greater impact on his style:

“I played more like John Joe Lynch than Jim Mulqueeney because I preferred his style… I got most of my music from John Joe Lynch.”

Jimmy played his first public performance as a boy at a benefit dance in Doolin in 1923. From there, he became a mainstay of the local scene, performing with the Kilfenora Céilí Band, including the famed 1954 lineup that won three All-Ireland titles. He also performed with Barry Ward’s Corcomroe Céilí Band and was deeply involved with St. Flannan’s College, helping form a céilí band among the students in 1948.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Jimmy helped form The Bannermen, alongside P.J. Murrihy and Michael Sexton. They toured widely, including a memorable trip to the United States, playing a lively mix of traditional and country-flavoured music.

In later life, a serious road accident forced him to slow down, but he remained highly respected and admired. He was often sought after for interviews by researchers and ethnomusicologists like Dr. Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin and Muiris Ó Rócháin because of his encyclopedic memory and straightforward way of telling the truth about the tradition.

Jimmy Ward passed away in 1987, but his musical legacy remains strong. He is remembered not only as a master musician of banjo, fiddle, flute, and whistle, but also as a living link to the golden generations of Clare music, a storyteller, and a proud bearer of the Kilfenora tradition.

Details with thanks to Garry Shannon