John Nee

John Nee (Irish: Seán Ó Nia) is an Irish storyteller, writer, performer and musician who is more commonly known by his stage name Little John Nee.

Little John Nee
Little John Nee on stage in Letterkenny
Born
Glasgow, Scotland
OccupationWriter/Performer/Musician
Years active1976–present

Biography

Nee was born in Glasgow in 1959 but returned to his parents home in Oldtown, Letterkenny, County Donegal at the age of twelve. He was educated at St Eunan's College in the town until he was expelled.[1] He currently lives in County Galway.[2]

Nee was given his stage name by his father who was a Little Richard fan. He founded the first punk band in County Donegal in 1976. They were known as Joe Petrol and the Petrol Bombs. He also spent some time as a labourer on the building sites in London where he began performing at Dalston Junction Alternative Cabaret at The Crown&Castle. He later moved to Dublin and began performing Charlie Chaplin on Grafton Street.[3] In 1986 he took up position in a caravan in Barna.[4]

Nee has made appearances in films such as Neil Jordan's High Spirits. He played the Toupee man in An Everlasting Piece. He was nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for his performance in The Derry Boat. Nee also played the part of Postie in TG4 silent comedy Fear an Phoist.[5] He has appeared at Electric Picnic, Galway Arts Festival and the Earagail Arts Festival. In August 2007, Nee announced his obsession with the ukulele while on RTÉ Radio 1 presenter Dave Fanning's show, Drivetime with Dave. He played a tune which he recorded with his band while in Letterkenny.[6] In 2010, in a Barabbas Theatre production called "The Singing Irish Clown," Nee portrayed Johnny Patterson, the 19th century clown discovered by Pablo Fanque, the British circus proprietor referenced in The Beatles' Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite![7]

References
  1. McBride, Charlie (24 August 2017). "Little John Nee: Expanding the universe". Galway Advertiser. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Expelled from St Eunan's College after smashing the windows one wild night ... John moved to London...
  2. John Nee brings Dead Rooster Blues to the Dock, Leitrim Observer, 12 September 2008
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Galway Arts Office Archived 2007-11-22 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Little John Nee
  6. Drivetime with Dave - Ukulele Comeback RTÉ Radio 1 - 21 August 2007
  7. Charlie Mcbride (6 May 2010). "The Galway Advertiser: "The Singing Irish Clown"". www.advertiser.ie. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
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