Tam Kearney Dulcimers

by Steve Eulberg

I was picking through my photo archives and was so delighted to uncover these photos!

Tam Kearney, co-founder of Toronto's Fiddler's Green and dulcimer-builder

Tam Kearney was a mainstay in the Toronto folk music scene after growing up in Glasgow and then moving to Canada in the 1960s.  Unfortunately for us, he passed in 2013.  (Read Ian Robb's eulogy in SingOut! Magazine here.)

I was on tour in Toronto in March of 2017 and was able to play a house concert for Lynn Westerhout, Tam's spouse, and she allowed me to borrow and play on (2) of his hand-crafter instruments for the concert and the day of workshops the following day.

(You can read my blogpost about the concert here)

The first dulcimer I am calling Shamrock because of the soundhole shapes.



Shamrock headstock detail

The second dulcimer I am calling Heart because of the soundhole shapes.  (For some reason the shamrock inlay adorns the heart dulcimer!)



I wonder how many more treasures like these are spread across North America?

Let us know when you spot one, see if you can play it, take pictures and we'll share it here!