In 1969 a Scotts friend, “Scotty”, living in Worcester,visited Scotland and  brought back some just released recordings of the Ullilian Pipes as well at the Scottish Singer, Hamish Imlach.  Bob was totally enamored with the pipes and would walk around with a cassette player which had a copy of Tabhair Dom Do Lámh (Give Me Your Hand) repeated over and over (repeat didn’t exist in those days). Scotty informed Bob that Hamish was visiting  the Boston Area with an Irish group, The Sands Family from Newry, Co. Down. They were playing in a chain of Boston area pubs and staying in a large ramshackle house owned by the pubs. Bob spent most of that time with Hamish and The Sands  There were many all night music sessions and Bob and Scotty eventually saw them off at Logan airport.  Bob received an invitation from Hamish to come to Scotland to play  on the folk club circuit and a month later, Bob  was on his way. He had unloaded most of his worldly possessions, and boarded a flight to Glasgow with a one way ticket, $800, a mandolin, guitar, banjo and some clothes. Bob spent the next year touring with Hamish  Imlach. One night came back to Hamish’s flat where a bunch of musicians over from Ireland were playing in the living room. It was Planxty on their first international tour and they played till dawn. The next morning, Christy Moore suggested to Bob that he come to Ireland, Three days later, Bob met Christy at O'Donoghue's in Dublin, which was the center of Irish music at the time. Bob played for an hour or so, bought a newspaper, found a flat and moved in the following day. O'Donoghue's would become Bob’s home away from home as it was for many of the now famous Irish musicians, like The Dubliners, The Chieftains, Paul Brady, The Furey Brothers and Kevin the Whistler. While in Ireland, Bob formed a band with Martin Doyle on whistle and bodhran, Brenny, Noel Galagher on pipes, and Bob on guitar. The Killen played all around greater Dublin and had a momentous tour of the North East United States. The Killen did little recording but did record the sound track for a BBC film on the Myth of the Children of Lyre.

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