|  Born
in Toronto to Irish emigrants, the McKinney family returned to Ireland
before finally settling in Detroit. Early childhood in Dublin and along
with brother Brendan, summers holidays were spent in Ireland with relatives
in Derry and Dublin.
"Although nobody played instruments, Mom was a very nice singer, and
loved to sing Irish songs. Sunday mornings would start with my Dad putting
on an Irish Guards Pipes and Drums album. He'd crank the stereo volume to
where my mother's precious Waterford crystal was vibrating off the shelves.
Then he'd fling the windows in our (mostly Polish and Ukranian) neighborhood
in Detroit and pronounce... "by God they'll know there's at least one Irishman
in the neighborhood."
Terence bought his first set of bagpipes in Dublin at age 13. His father
arranged tuition from a recently returned Vietnam veteran and piper, Jim
Price. Terence played "big pipes" for a year or two before hearing
a recording of Finbar Furey and was immediately smitten. Al Purcell, a piper
taught by Leo Rowesome, had settled in Detroit area, and once contacted,
generously offered tuition. Terence spent many afternoons with Al getting
tuition on whistle and pipes.
 From
the late 1970's Terence also played in the Scottish pipe band competitive
circuit in Clann na Gael pipe band in Detroit, Macnish Distillery
in St. Thomas ON, and later into the 1990's, the City
of Detroit Pipe Band, which took fifth in the World's championships in Glasgow
in 1997. It was through a pipe band ceilí that he met his lovely
wife, Moira.
Terence played in sessions and assembled traditional groups around Detroit
and attended the Fleadh Cheoil scene with his brother who had also become
an accomplished "big" piper and flute player. The Detroit area
traditional music scene was fairly small, and Terence one of a hard core
in all the local sessions along with the likes of Al
Purcell, Mick Gavin,
Wallace Hood, Jim O'Callaghan, Marty Somberg, Frank
Edgley, Charlie Wilkie,
Roy Livingston and Gerry O'Kane Jim Perkins.
Terence studied the Irish language for several years under Alaster Merron
ofBelfast and continues to take an interest in the language.
Terence now teaches pipes at the Detroit IMA and works
with young students in group and céilí bands since Al Purcell's
passing in September 2000.
In 2000, in a new venture for the
Detroit CCÉ, a Grupai Cheoil (music group) was formed with
young promising students playing various traditional instruments. The
Detroit groups have done extremely well at the Midwest Fleadh and took
a 2nd place in the All-Ireland Fleadh in 2000.
The McKinney family have a new crop of up-and-coming young musicians in
the household. His daughters Mairéad plays fiddle and bozouki, and
Síobhan
is a 3 time All-Ireland champion on harp. Conor is off
to a good start on concertina. Terence is the current president
of the Detroit
IMA.
Brother Brendan has moved to Chicago and owns one of Chicago's best Irish
music venues, Chief
O'Neill's Pub. Terence also plays in the group, Finvarra's
Wren and works as a graphic and Web designer.
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