[2] James Ennis, Séamus's father, worked for the Irish civil service at Naul, County Dublin.

They had six children, Angela, Séamus, Barbara, and twins, Cormac and Ursula (Pixie) and Desmond.

James Ennis was a member of the Fingal trio, which included Frank O'Higgins on fiddle and John Cawley on flute and performed regularly with them on the radio.

He attended a Gaelscoil, Cholmcille, and a Gaelcholáiste, Coláiste Mhuire, which gave him a knowledge of the Irish language that would serve him well in later life.

Colm Ó Lochlainn was editor of Irish Street Ballads and a friend of the Ennis family.

In 1938 Séamus confided in Colm that he intended to move to England to join the British Army.

Professor Seamus Ó Duilearge of the Irish Folklore Commission hired the 23-year-old to collect songs.

From 1942 to 1947, working for the Irish Folklore Commission, Séamus collected songs in west Munster; counties Galway, Cavan, Mayo; Donegal, Kerry; the Aran Islands and the Scottish Hebrides.

His knowledge of Scots Gaelic enabled him to transcribe much of the John Lorne Campbell collection of songs.

Elizabeth Cronin of Baile Mhuirne, County Cork was so keen to chat to Séamus on his visits that she wrote down her own songs and handed them over as he arrived, and then got down to conversation.

In 1951, Alan Lomax and Jean Ritchie arrived from America to record Irish songs and tunes.

There is a photograph from 1952/53 showing Jean huddled over the tape recorder while Séamus plays Uilleann pipes.

His job was to record the traditional music of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and to present it on the BBC Home Service.

Meeting up with Alan Lomax again, Séamus was largely responsible for the album Folk and Primitive Music (volume on Ireland) on the Columbia label.

In 1958, after his contract with the BBC was not renewed, he started doing freelance work, first in England then back in Ireland, with the new TV station Teilifis Éireann.

Séamus was a master of the slow air, knowing how to decorate long notes with taste and discreet variation.

In 2009 The Blackbird from The Wandering Minstrel was included in Topic Records 70 year anniversary boxed set Three Score and Ten as track eight on the third CD.