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Irish flute

The Irish flute is a conical-bore, simple-system, wooden flute of the type favoured by classical flautists of the early 19th century, or to a flute of modern manufacture derived from this design (often with modifications to optimize its use in Irish Traditional Music, Scottish Traditional Music or Music of Brittany and other Celtic nations). The majority of traditional Irish flute players use a wooden, simple-system flute.[1]

Classification

421.121.12
(open side-blown flute with fingerholes)

Although it is played in every county in Ireland, the flute has a strong heartland in the mid-western counties of Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, south Fermanagh, east Galway, Clare and west Limerick.[2]

Eamonn Cotter - based in County Clare.

[9]

Martin Doyle - based near , in the County Clare.[10]

Liscannor

Hammy Hamilton - based in , West Cork.[11]

Cúil Aodha

Terry McGee - based in Australia.

[12]

Today, transverse "simple system Irish" flutes are being made for the playing of a variety of traditional musical styles. In the Irish tradition, the material used is most commonly wood, but also Delrin, PVC, and even bamboo is used – though wood is still by far the most popular material. These modern Irish flutes can vary in the number of added metal keys, or have no keys at all. Most are tuned using modern methods and are typically better in tune with modern instruments. All have the basic six hole diatonic design as in a tinwhistle.


Today's makers emulate the designs of old, focusing often on a specific model or serial number, and maintaining tuning to today's modern pitch standard of A=440 at equal temperament. The flutes of Rudall & Rose and Pratten were made in the meantone temperament, though some were created in equal temperament.


Some modern "Irish" wooden flute makers include:

Billy Clifford (whose family hailed from ) played in the Star of Munster trio with his mother Julia Clifford. He made several recordings with her and his father John Clifford.

Sliabh Luachra

Ciara Considine

Tara Diamond (from County Down) and her father Leslie Bingham

Paul McGlinchey, from Omagh, County Tyrone.

[35]

Tom Doorley (from , County Dublin; performed with Danú)

Glenageary

Seamus Egan

Brian Finnegan

Steph Geremia

Oliver Goldsmith

Aoife Granville (traditional flute tutor in UCC's School of Music and Theatre)

Skip Healy (from Rhode Island, also a manufacturer)

Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha, Music Editor with RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta and presenter/producer of its main Irish Traditional Music programme "Ceol Binn ó na Beanna"

concentrated mainly on Donegal music

Frankie Kennedy

Paul McGrattan from the northside of Dublin

Seosamh Mac Grianna (known locally as Joe Mhici Jimi) from , a small rural peninsula in the Rosses, near Gweedore in the County Donegal Gaeltacht.

Rann na Feirste

Séamas Mac Mathúna (from Gower, Cooraclare, County Clare, worked full-time for )

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann

Joanie Madden

Pat O'Donnell from Limerick; now living in Galway

Michael McGoldrick

Tom McHale was a whistle and flute player from Tulsk, County Roscommon, who lived for some years in Birmingham.

Louise Mulcahy from Limerick. Female Musician of the Year in the LiveIreland Music Awards 2015.

[36]

Caoimhín Ó Fearghail, from in the west Waterford Gaeltacht. TG4 Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2012.[37]

An Rinn

Chris Norman (flautist)

Francis O'Neill

John Skelton, born in London, played with the Irish group Shegui and later with

The House Band

Calum Stewart

Paddy Taylor (1914-1976) from County Limerick, who played a Radcliff-system flute, was a central figure on the London scene in the 1940s.

[38]

Michael Tubridy

Some other players of Irish traditional music on the flute include the following:

: Darby's Farewell LP issued on Topic in 1977. Reissued on CD in 2000.[39]

Josie McDermott

Peg McGrath on flute accompanied by Kathleen Smyth on fiddle and Mary Mulholland on piano (1981). Cherish the Ladies. Belfast: Outlet solp 1043.

: Traditional Irish Music AKA The Best of Séamus Tansey recorded in 1971 in Belfast with Josie Keegan on piano.

Séamus Tansey

Breathnach, Breandán: Folk Music and Dances of Ireland (1971)  1-900428-65-2

ISBN

Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin (1998). A Pocket History of Irish Traditional Music. Dublin: O'Brien Press.

The Flute and its Patrons, Chapter XXVII of Francis O'Neill's Irish Minstrels and Musicians.

Taylor, Barry (2013). Music in a Breeze of Wing; Traditional Dance Music in West-Clare 1870-1970. Danganella: Barry Taylor.  978-0-9927356-0-9.

ISBN

Media related to Irish flutes at Wikimedia Commons