Phil Heenan

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After 65 years in the music business and a career that led him to play in Ireland, America and England and more recently on Gerry Flynn's 'Enjoy Travel' trips in Spain, Phil Heenan has finally released this long overdue and eagerly awaited CD. Not many musicians recording in studios around Ireland today can remember travelling to gig in a horse and cart (minus the P.A) - this is just one of the many stories Phil recalls.
Born and bred in Roscrea in County Tipperary, he started out playing the accordian as most people did in the time. When he was 16 he became interested in Dance Band music and Phil talked his dad into buying him his first sax. He learned to read music and this is when his career really took off. Soon he was playing in the "posh" ballrooms all over Ireland (the ones with the mineral bars and the cycle parks outside!) and earning £1.00 per night. To further his career he moved to London where he studied music and graduated from the prestigious Central College of Dance Band Music in Cambridge Circus London.
At that time he also married the love of his life, May Fallon, a good Mayo woman from Castlebar. They say behind every successful man is a good woman and she is certainly one of the best, encouraging and supporting him through good times and the bad. They travelled together in Chicago where entrepreneur Bill Fuller, whom he had worked for in London, asked him to put his own Dance Band together. They were an instant success and he got the opportunity to do a weekly radio broadcast and appeared several times on national television. 10 years ago at the age of 72, he returned to Ireland to retire and was immediately asked to join the Brose Walsh Band with whom he still plays occasionally. Phil has played with the Castlebar Concert Orchestra and taught many of the youth orchestra music. He is still trying to retire, but thank God, it's just not happening!
His album debut 'Saxaphobia' was released in 2006