INTERVIEW: Paudie Coen of The Rebel Hearts reflects on his journey
Paudie Coen of Tipperary band The Rebel Hearts talks tradition, family, and a life in Irish music
Paudie Coen speaks with the assurance of a man shaped by years on the road and on stage. A flute and tin whistle player with The Rebel Hearts - a Tipperary Irish traditional rebel band.
Known for their high-energy performances and strong connection to ballad and folk traditions - Paudie has spent nearly three decades at the centre of one of the county's most enduring live acts.
Coen's story begins in his childhood home in Clonoulty Rossmore, where traditional Irish music was absorbed into the fabric of daily life - the sound of records on the turntable carrying The Dubliners, The Chieftains and The Wolfe Tones.
It was in this setting surrounded by the voices of Ireland's balladic past that Coen's musical instincts grew roots.
His father, shaped in part by years spent working in England, returned with a sharpened sense of Irish identity and passed it on through music to his four sons - Seamus, Micheal, Liam and Paudie.
The tradition of Irish music runs deep in the family. Paudie's grandfather, Bernard 'Benny' Coen, was a gifted flute player from Sligo who later served in the Irish Army.
Carrying on this musical legacy, Paudie was brought by his parents to Cashel, where he learned under the guidance of Kathleen Nesbit at the local Comhaltas branch. From the age of seven into his teenage years, he learned to read music, understand timing, and honed his technique.
At home, the influence of his brother Liam was significant. A banjo player with a natural drive, Liam urged him constantly to join in, to learn tunes together at the kitchen table.
"He really pushed me," Paudie recalls. "He'd say, come join me, we need to learn this tune." Between the order of the classroom and the informality of the kitchen, a balance began to form, shaping both his musicianship and his sense of purpose.
A formative lesson came one cold night outside Jim O' the Mills, the storied session house in Upperchurch. Paudie recalls being left there by his father, who simply told him he would not be coming in. Inside, music was not so much taught as tested, and what followed became a quiet turning point.
For Paudie, Irish music has always carried that same principle, the necessity of standing on one's own two feet, of finding the confidence to walk into a room, meet fellow players, build the connections, and above all, to play, listen and learn. "I think it was a great thing," he reflects, "because I did have to stand on my own two feet and experience it for myself and find my own way."
The origin of The Rebel Hearts happened somewhat by chance. Some would call it fate.
As a young apprentice in Limerick, short of money and thumbing a lift home after a night playing in Dolan's, he was picked up by a driver with rebel music on the stereo. Recognition came quickly. The driver knew of Coen and his musical interest, and made a simple proposal: would he join a rebel band then being formed in his local area.
Paudie agreed without hesitation. There had been no such group locally, no outlet for that particular strain of music. A call followed the next day, then a rehearsal. From that unlikely encounter, The Rebel Hearts began to take shape.
Founded around 1999 in Tipperary, the early line-up settled into a tightly knit local unit: Jamie Mockler, Paudie Coen, Liam Coen, Paudie Doran and Tom Doran.
Tragically, the story of music in his life is inseparable from loss. His brother Liam Coen, whom Paudie regards as the single greatest influence on his musical path, died earlier this year after a long illness. He was 52.
Coen speaks of the lessons he learned from his brother with unflinching clarity.
"He was a unique individual," he says. "He never looked for fame but he would give his heart and soul on stage."
Liam's presence, he suggests, remains embedded in the ethos of the band itself.
He recalls Liam's final moments with the band members.
"He shook each of our hands," Coen says, "and said the best thing he ever did in his life was playing with The Rebel Hearts."
Of the lessons he learned from his brother, Paudie is direct." He taught me to be proud," he says. "To be proud of what I do, and never be ashamed to play rebel songs."
After a pause, he turns to what endures. "It has given me everything, really. My life, my friends, my sense of purpose. And we will keep the band going. That is what Liam wanted us to do."
The band has continued playing with a changed line-up; Joe Doran has joined in Liam's place. Paudie notes that Liam had long encouraged Joe to take over from him.
"Since Liam's passing we have all become even closer together as a band," Paudie says.
Outside of The Rebel Hearts, Paudie's life remains firmly anchored in his community. He is involved in athletics with Dundrum AC and maintains long-standing ties to his GAA club, Clonoulty Rossmore, where he played across the grades up to senior and intermediate level. He was part of the side that won the Junior B All Ireland title in 2022.
He also works as a special needs assistant at Scoil Chormaic in Cashel, a role he describes as both grounding and deeply rewarding. He speaks with evident pride about the work, describing it as a privilege that brings him great satisfaction.
He says he loves working there with both pupils and staff, and values the sense of purpose it gives him, alongside his ongoing commitment to teaching music to younger players.
For Paudie, music is something to be passed on. It is rooted in personal experience and sustained through teaching. He speaks with particular conviction about the next generation and what music offers beyond the stage.
"I teach a lot of music to youngsters, he says. "It teaches discipline first of all, to sit down and learn a tune. It gives them a sense of achievement, then concentration, and it helps form friendships. Youngsters meet at session and fleadhanna cheoil, building friendships that will last a lifetime. This is what Irish music has done for me."
It is, in the end, a simple conviction that seems to sum him up: “I would encourage all parents to give your son or daughter the gift of music.”