KiwiCelt Wooden Flutes

In any field of life, there are those who stand out and shine — people with abundant gifts and abilities that serve to inspire us all. In the realm of Irish traditional music and particularly Irish flute playing, one such player is Matt Molloy. To my mind, Matt is not only a brilliant player from a technical point of view, but also — and perhaps more importantly — he is a great example of someone who has all the heart and passion for the music that anyone could ever want. He quite simply seems to love what he is doing and has been doing it for a long time now. This from his website:

Matt Molloy was born in Ballaghadereen, County Roscommon, an area well known for flute players. He began playing the flute at age 8 and by the age of 18, he had won the All-Ireland Flute Championship and had a string of successes in National Fleadh Cheoil and Oireachtas. He moved to Dublin in the mid 1960’s where he started playing in the music scene and became acquainted with Paddy Moloney. During the burgeoning folk scene of the 1970’s, Matt was a founding member of the famous folk group, The Bothy Band. He was invited to join The Chieftains in 1979.

In September of 1997, the Montreal flute player Sean McCutcheon interviewed Matt Molloy shortly after the release of Matt’s Shadows on Stone CD. It’s a great insight into a man who comes from a long line of flute players and who grew up in a part of Ireland that is known for it’s flute players — the South Sligo/Roscommon area. Here’s a couple of excerpts from the interview:

Q: Why the flute?
A: Well, whatever insanity is involved, I don’t know; I just got hooked on it and I suppose my father did and my uncle and my grandfather. It’s just the sound of the instrument that appeals to me. Well, if you like, I like the sort of expression that one can give. The flute does it for me. I can express what I feel best on that instrument.

Q: Is the Irish tradition rich enough for you?
A: All I need is there. It’s just part of me. It’s just an extension of myself. It’s who I am. What can I say: it’s part of who I am.

Read more: An Interview with Matt Molloy on A Guide to the Irish Flute.

The following piece is a prime example of Matt’s prowess with the flute — technical brilliance matched with a passion for the music. He is accompanied by another immortal from the realm of Irish traditional music — fellow Bothy Band member Donal Lunny on Bouzouki. (They are watched by non other than James Galway.) The tune is Bucks of Oranmore and this clip was recorded in 1977.

If you want to hear Matt playing at a slower pace, the first item on the KiwiCelt Music page is one of my favourites. An Gaoth Aneas (wind from the south) is a lovely slow air from The Chieftains’ Water From The Well album (2000) that offers a chance to listen to Matt Molloy playing in what I would term a soulful mode — so expressive and full of feeling. This piece really helped me realise how expressive the wooden flute could be when I first began playing a few years ago.

Speaking of the Bothy Band, the great Irish fiddler and former ‘Bothyite’ Kevin Burke was recently in New Zealand for Ceol Aneas 2007 — the Irish traditional music workshops that are held in the South Island town of Nelson each year. I have just had the good fortune of interviewing Bob Bickerton who is one of the organisers of Ceol Aneas and he told me that the three day weekend was a tremendous success and a great inspiration to the 80 or so people who attended. It was lovely to speak with Bob who is a very inspiring character with a great heart and a genuine love for playing and sharing his music. The interview will be posted on this website sometime next week. And of Kevin Burke:

Kevin Burke is London-born of Sligo parents, one of the top living Irish fiddlers, and the acknowledged exponent of the highly ornamented Sligo style. He returned to Ireland and played for a while with Christy Moore after leaving Planxty. He then replaced Tommy Peoples as fiddle player with the Bothy Band from 1976-79. After it’s demise, he teamed up with Micheal O’ Domhnaill, also of the Bothy Band, touring throughout Europe and the United States and recording two albums. Their US tours included such guests as Andy Irvine and Gerry O’Beirne. One such tour, extravagantly titled “Legends of Irish Music” brought together Burke, Irvine, O’Beirne and Jackie Daly who then gelled into the group Patrick Street, which has toured and recorded several albums since. He currently plays with Open House, a band which grew out of his last solo album. (Source: Profile: Kevin Burke.)

Here’s another little treat from the YouTube archives — the Bothy Band performing a set of jigs in 1977. The Bothy Band were possibly the greatest of new Irish traditional groups that arose in the 1970’s. Their fire and brilliance has long outlasted their three year history and the four albums they produced are prized possessions of many Celtic music lovers. The lineup for this piece: Paddy Keenan — Uilleann Pipes; Micheal O Dhomhnaill — Guitar; Triona Ni Dhomhnaill — Vocals and Keyboard; Donal Lunny — Bouzouki; Kevin Burke — Fiddle; Matt Molloy — Flute. Many if not all of these musicians are still among the pillars of Irish traditional music to this day. Enjoy…

The Bothy Band — albums recorded by The Bothy Band, including release dates and current UK CD availability.

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