About the Author

Helen O’Shea is the Australian author of non-fiction works about Irish traditional music, including her acclaimed book The Making of Irish Traditional Music (2008). She has also published creative non-fiction based on oral history projects in rural Australia. For most of her life, Helen has performed Irish traditional music on the fiddle, mentored by musicians from East Galway and East Clare, including Paddy Canny’s brother Jack, who migrated to Australia in the 1960s. From first hearing a
recording of Paddy Canny playing with P. J. Hayes, she fell in love with his music, as so many listeners have. Her musical understanding developed during her years as a graduate student in Ireland c1980, while researching Seamus Heaney’s poetry, in extended visits to Ireland and during a year of doctoral fieldwork in East Clare in 2000. Her experience teaching
and researching at universities in Ireland and Australia encompasses literature, history and music. She is currently an honorary research fellow in ethnomusicology at the University of Melbourne.

Reviews

‘A “must-read” for anyone who loves traditional music. Paddy Canny was a master fiddle player who was reluctant to seek attention for his craft. Helen O'Shea's portrait offers insights into his rural background, his musical influences, the peers he engaged with, and how his musical values shaped his style. The book is beautifully illustrated and the musical transcriptions will be welcomed by practitioners who appreciate the nuances in the art form. No Better Boy is a remarkable achievement.’ Liam O'Connor, Director, Irish Traditional Music Archive

‘This book is a delight. Helen O'Shea captures intimately the musical, physical and personal landscapes of East Clare as if they were her own. I found myself, my locale, and the people and the music I know and love, illuminated in new and wonderful ways.’ Paula Carroll, Broadcaster and Oral Historian

‘The playing on the recording I am hearing is nearly as ebullient and restless as [Michael] Coleman’s, but Canny could squeeze a note to make it cry at nearly the same speed, with an exquisitely tasteful glissando, and he let the subtlest decrescendo fall with a nearly imperceptible slackening of the pace to end a phrase. O’Shea has said just about all that can be said about these matters, and said it well.’ The Journal of Music

‘[This] beautifully illustrated tome goes to the heart of the man and his music.’ Fiona McGarry, Clare Champion

‘No Better Boy provides a profound and compelling picture of Canny’s life and music, accessible to non-musicians and musicians alike. O’Shea’s prose style bears a certain kinship to Canny’s music, at once lyrical and economical … this is a meticulously researched piece of writing … her diligence as an oral historian must be applauded [and her] command of narrative and imagery leaves such a profound emotional impact. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is its depiction of the series of technological and cultural revolutions that reshaped Irish traditional music in the 20th century.’ Matthew Horsley, Tinteán

‘Helen O'Shea has written a splendid and multi-layered book, blending text, image and music. The Lilliput Press have produced a very handsome book; it is most attractive to the eye and to the holding hand. Paddy Canny is most fortunate in having Helen O'Shea as his recording angel.’ Peter Beirne

'This is a tastefully-written and presented, musically-competent, expert and tender chronicle of an exceptional, pre-Revival-days player who loved his music, and was aware of the limitations living in Ireland implied. It is tremendous that Helen O’Shea now brings it into the light of day. [Her] twenty or so detailed tune transcriptions and much music analysis make tremendous sense of Paddy Canny as a stylist, his technique, and composition and arrangement ingenuity. This makes the work much more than a personal tale set in an evocative historical landscape. It is the story of a musician among his peers, in his community—with his unique music.' Fintan Valley, Companion to Irish Traditional Music

'A richly enlightening journey through the life and times of one of Ireland’s most important fiddle players.' Martin Dowling, The Journal of Music

'The book is a tremendous accomplishment, and we in the world of Irish trad are all indebted
to you.' Steve Jones, musician, Montreal

'A wonderful contribution to the social history of traditional music.' Geoff Wooff, musician and uilleann pipes maker

'The texture and tone of the prose is like softly woven tweed. Tactile. It’s so gentle and filled with utter respect for the lives lived in that musical locale.' Máire Winters, Galway