Irish Flute Music

Irish flute music is a traditional folk form with its roots in Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, and Fermanagh in western Ireland. Flute players from these counties possess an extraordinary style which distinguishes themselves from those found elsewhere across Ireland.

Conal O Grada

Conal O Grada is an innovative flute player from Cork who has become widely respected over the past decades for taking traditional Irish elements and turning them into his signature style, instantly recognisable to listeners worldwide. He has recorded two albums to date – The Top of Coom (1990) and Cnoc Bui (2008) both receiving high accolades from music critics worldwide.

Experienced teacher, he has taught at events like Willie Clancy Summer School and Catskills Irish Arts Week. Additionally, his book on flute-playing entitled ‘An Fheadog Mhor Irish Traditional Flute Technique’ received critical acclaim.

O Grada has had an enormous influence on many musicians, most notably Cork-based fiddler David Sheridan who collaborated on O Grada’s album Millhouse Measures released in 2011. Furthermore, he enjoys longstanding ties to Offaly fiddler Benny McGlynn of Danu fame who formed The Raw Bar Collective alongside O Grada at 2011 Ennis November Trad Festival and performed with O Grada as The Raw Bar Collective.

Seamus Tansey

Born in Gurteen, Sligo in 1943, Seamus Tansey took up the tin whistle before picking up his first flute in 1961. By 1965 he had won the All Ireland Fleadh at Thurles and recorded five albums (one with Eddie Corcoran), becoming an inspiration to future generations of flute players.

Robin Morton encouraged him to record, which resulted in an excellent album featuring Scottish fiddler John McCusker on keyboards, guitarist Tony McManus and harpist Alison Kinnaird – and makes for hard listening without smiling!

Catherine McEvoy

Catherine McEvoy is an exceptional flute player rooted in the music of Roscommon County, Ireland. She is an established performer and teacher, providing tutoring at both Willie Clancy Summer School in Milltown Malbay and Catskills Irish Arts Week in New York.

At an early age, she taught herself the flute on her own without instruction from anyone other than her mother and brother John – an accomplished fiddle player both in Ireland and England – who both greatly influenced her early musical development.

As a child, Catherine spent much of her time listening to recordings and tapes of traditional musicians that her father had brought back from his travels across Europe. These recordings had an enormous effect on Catherine as she developed musically as she grew older.

Fintan Vallely

Fintan Vallely has extensive experience playing flute in Irish traditional music and writing about this tradition, having written multiple books on this topic as well as an outstanding tutor book for this instrument. He is one of many authors that specialize in this instrument’s development as an Irish traditional musical tradition.

Merrijig Creek showcases his keen ability to write new tunes, with many pieces featuring reflective or semi-improvised qualities that may surprise listeners of solo traditional Irish music albums.

On this recording he explores fifteen distinct tune-types across thirty sets of solos and duets, featuring rich drones from his uilleann pipes and rhythm provided by an historic tambourine. Older song-airs and laments, local jigs and reels, popular dance forms like quickstep and barndance as well as continental rhythms like polka and mazurka as well as Scottish highland songs are explored as part of this endeavour.

Irish Flute Songs

Traditional Irish music is an integral part of Irish culture, and the flute is one of Ireland’s most beloved instruments – an indispensable necessity in any trad session!

Irish Music Flutes were first brought to Ireland during the mid-1800s; initially made of bones before moving onto wood construction.

1. Sligo Style

The flute has long been one of the key instruments in Traditional Irish Music and remains an indispensable feature of Irish bands today. At its core is a simple transverse wooden flute with six holes made from wood, bamboo or deirin for maximum versatility and performance.

Irish flute styles vary considerably by region and family; Sligo boasts an intricate tradition of tin whistle-style flute play while other areas exhibit more elaborate ornamentation with foot-tapping rhythms and foot tapping rhythms.

As one way of exploring different regional styles is listening to recordings. Brian Conway, James Kelly and Liz Carroll offer modern fiddle recordings showcasing diverse regional styles.

2. Leitrim Style

The Leitrim Style of playing is highly distinct, having its origins in Sligo but also showing strong Leitrim traditions.

The flute is an instrument widely associated with Irish music. There are various styles of flute, but one popular form is known as a six-hole wood D-flute that typically pitches in D but can also be transposed to other keys.

This type of flute was initially employed as a reedless flute; however, most modern Irish session flautists opt for Boehm system silver flutes that mimic concert-pitch flutes more closely.

Flutists have various techniques at their disposal for altering the sound of their instrument. One common approach is adjusting lip positions.

For a more relaxed embouchure, the lips should be placed almost flat against the flute head with slightly tightened side mouth tenses to help achieve a wide variety of tonal colors.

3. Fermanagh Style

The flute is an integral component of music in this region, serving as an expressive tool that can produce a range of ornamentations effects.

Flutes can also be used to produce rhythmic tunes, combining short phrases with slightly longer ones. Flutists must maintain control of their breath while playing, keeping their tempo within conscious boundaries.

Some flute players use a tight embouchure, resting their bottom lip against the headjoint; others play with loose lips that open and close more freely.

The flute can be an extremely powerful instrument and is widely known as the ‘voice of Ireland’ due to its characteristic sound and unique charm. Due to its versatility, flute has become one of the world’s most beloved instruments – an essential component of traditional Irish music scene and great way to amplify any performance; plus it can express many different genres and is easy to learn!

4. East Galway Style

The East Galway Style of Irish flute music originated in East Galway, Ireland. This form of musical expression features steady, clear, expressive playing that is unhurried yet unboisterous as well as sparsely ornamented and fluid in nature.

Flutists need to consider both their mouth shape and blowing angle when playing flute, as well as breath control and intonation when performing their art. While many use a relaxed embouchure when performing, others play with tight “smiling” lips for effect.

East Galway flute players stand out by being capable of performing in keys that would normally not be accessible with an ordinary system flute, such as G minor, D minor and Bb major.

Key elements of East Galway style include using fingered ornamentation such as cuts, rolls and crans to define its appearance.

Some traditional East Galway flautists are well known for utilizing breathing techniques, including glottal stops. Additionally, ornamentation may vary according to individual style and needs.

The Different Types of Irish Music

irish music

Irish music is a type of music that is produced on the island of Ireland. It comes in a variety of genres and is created on a variety of instruments, such as the fiddle, the harp, and the tin whistle.

Fiddle

The fiddle is a stringed instrument, with four strings. The fiddle is an ancestor of the lute. You can play it with a bow. It is an important part of traditional Irish music.

Many regional variations of Irish fiddling exist. They include the Donegal style, the Munster style, and the East Galway style. Each has its own unique sound and ornaments.

The oldest version of the fiddle was made from gut strings. It was later made from steel strings or wire strings.

Fiddles were also used in African-American string bands. Fiddles were used more frequently than guitars.

In the early 900s, the British Isles had the first known drawing of a fiddle. These instruments were often elaborately bowed and had cross-tuning.

Harp

Over a thousand years ago, harps from all over Ireland were documented. However, it has declined with the introduction of the uilleann pipes and keyboard instruments. The harp had a historical aesthetic and aesthetic value. The harp has an exceptional status in Irish society. It was regarded as the supreme instrument of the country.

Over the last few centuries, the harp has experienced a renaissance, influenced by the contributions of composers such as Sean O Riada. He questioned the rigidity of the uilleann piping tradition and encouraged public interest in the harpers’ repertoire.

Eamon De Buitlear’s Ceoltoiri Laighean was the first group to use an Irish harp. The harper’s contribution has also been recognised with the TG4 Irish Traditional Musician of the Year Award.

Tin Whistle

Tin Whistle Irish Music has been gaining popularity over the past few years. This instrument is used for both upbeat performance and informal session. It is very easy to use and learn. The instrument is affordable. You can use it in any major key.

Tin whistles are very popular, but there are still some myths. Traditional musicians don’t like using musical scores to learn. They prefer to learn by ear.

Playing a tin whistle requires that you hold it with one hand in each hand. To support the whistle, place your thumb’s tip under it.

Tenor singers

Since 1998, the Irish Tenors have been performing around the globe as a trio of classically-trained vocalists. They are an ensemble of three Irish tenors, Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan, and Finbar Wright.

Anthony Kearns started out his singing career in Wexford at the age of ten. He was a frequent singer at community functions after leaving school. His ability to sing Irish songs is what made him famous. He regularly performs on major stages around the world. He has also performed with the Irish Ring Opera. He is currently on tour in Ireland, Canada and the U.S.

Ronan McCormack began studying voice when he was 30 years old and soon after released his first album. He has sold over 2,000,000 copies of his albums worldwide. His tours have included stops in Ireland, America and Canada.

Traditional music sessions vs tourist traps

Traditional music sessions in Ireland are a great place to learn some new songs and get a glimpse into Irish culture. Many tourists travel to Ireland hoping to see the’real’ country. However, many are offered something that is less authentic.

You will get more out of sessions if there are a lot of people attending. These types of sessions tend to be a lot more lively and less stodgy.

Asking the musicians in the session which songs they are playing is the best way to find out. You will get a better idea about the songs and their playing style. You may be able even to record the songs if you are lucky!