Blind from a young age, he was the best-known piper in the west of Ireland.
Paddy Conneely — The Galway Piper
This portrait captures Paddy Conneely, the celebrated Galway piper whose music carried the spirit of the west of Ireland through the first half of the 19th century. Blind from a young age, Conneely became one of the best-known traditional pipers of his day, his uilleann pipes a fixture of Galway life until his death in 1850. Rendered in delicate watercolour by Frederic William Burton, the piece holds a quiet dignity — a working musician caught mid-tune, red pipe-bag across his lap.
About the Artist
Frederic William Burton (1816–1900) was one of Ireland's greatest watercolourists and a giant of 19th-century Irish art. Born in County Clare, he built his reputation on exquisitely observed portraits and romantic subjects before serving as Director of the National Gallery in London. Best known today for Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, Burton also devoted himself to recording the ordinary people of Ireland — musicians, country folk and traditional figures — with rare tenderness and skill. This portrait of Paddy Conneely, held in the National Gallery of Ireland, is a treasured example of that work.
Sizes & Format
30x40 cm / 12x16″
45x60 cm / 18x24″
60x80 cm / 24x32″
75x100 cm / 30x40″
Unframed in every size, or framed in black, white or wood up to 60x80 cm
Print & Frame Details
Archival matte paper, 250gsm (110lb), acid-free and FSC-certified — off-white, uncoated. Framed prints: solid oak or ash wood frame, 20mm thick, with shatterproof protective glazing. Ready to hang, hanging kit included. Unframed prints up to A4 ship flat; larger sizes ship rolled in a protective tube.
Free Worldwide Shipping
Framed prints are packed with protective corners and wrap, boxed with reinforced edges, and braced with internal supports for extra rigidity (max 3 frames per package). Every order ships free, made to order and delivered from the hub closest to you: Ireland 3–7 business days · UK 4–8 · USA 5–10 · Canada 6–12 · Australia 7–14.
Hangs well with
Burton could not tolerate the smell of oil paint, so the work is watercolour and drawing throughout — one hand, one medium.
