Caoimhin O'Fearghail & Paddy Tutty:
Flute & Fiddle
The combination of flute and fiddle is omnipresent in traditional Irish music but few enough are remembered fondly.
Paddy Carty and Conor Tully spring to mind and this music stands the test of time.
James Cullinan and P.J. Crotty and Aidan McMahon and Anthony Quigney have flown the flag in Clare over the last 20 years.
Add a recent recordings by Tommy Fitzharris and Donal McCague and Mike McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly and then include this album which is due to be released at the November Trad Fest here in Ennis , 2018, and you have contemporary musicians who could easily sit with the legends of traditional Irish music.
Caoimhin and Paddy are in this elevated league and this music will be listened to well into the future where it is appreciated by the discerning.
"How welcome it is to be asked to endorse such a quality fiddle and flute album as this from two young Waterford musicians who can hold their own with any present or historical flute and fiddle combination. Attractive, effortless and well chosen pieces make this recording a welcome companion to the collection of any follower of quality music. I was sent five or six tracks and found myself demanding more. Congrats Paddy and Caoimhín on such a fresh respectful approach to our traditional music." - John Carty, July 2018
Introducing
Caoimhín Ó Fearghail (Kevin O'Farrell) was born in 1989 and comes from An Rinn in the Waterford Gaeltacht. He started to learn the tin-whistle at the age of eight, taking lessons from Bobby Gardiner. He quickly progressed to the uilleann pipes, under the tutelage of David Power. He is self-taught on flute and guitar inspired by such diverse flute players as Matt Molloy, Mike Rafferty and Tom Doorley. Some of his strongest piping influences include the old greats such as Séamus Ennis, Willie Clancy, Leo Rowsome, Tommy Reck and Patsy Touhey. He cannot deny the big influence that Liam O’Flynn, Mick O’Brien and Waterford pipers Tommy Kearney, Jimmy O’Brien-Moran, Tommy Keane and Donnchadh Gough have had on him, and is very much influenced by the many other great musicians and singers of his home area in Co. Waterford.
In 2006, as part of his school transition year project, he released an album entitled ‘Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar’, with a group of friends, local musicians and singers. It featured guest appearances from well-known local artists including Liam Clancy, Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Donnchadh Gough and Ciarán Ó Gealbháin.
Since then, he has featured on a number of albums, as accompanist quite often, including on Caitlín Nic Gabhann’s album ‘Caitlín’, and Edel Fox and Neill Byrne’s ‘The Sunny Banks’. In 2013, he also recorded an album ‘Lá ag Ól Uisce’ with his brother Seán and Tomás Ó Gealbháin, and is featured playing pipes solo on ‘The Rolling Wave’, a compilation album issued by NPU.
Caoimhín was the 2012 recipient of the TG4 Young Musician of the Year award (Gradam Ceoil TG4).
In September 2013, he featured on a Music Network tour with Noel Hill and Liam O’Connor called ‘Bellows, Bridge & Bow’. In 2014, he joined the group Caladh Nua as guitar player with additional flute and has toured extensively with them, and has performed on various instruments with other well-known groups as well, such as Danú, Piper’s Union, and Skipper’s Alley. He recently recorded an album of flute and fiddle music with fiddler Paddy Tutty from nearby Dungarvan.
A frequent teacher and performer, he has taught pipes and performed at many piping Tionóil agus other piping events in Ireland such as Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, the William Kennedy Piping Festival in Armagh, and also at the Northeast Tionól in the US. He has also toured abroad playing with groups such as Caladh Nua and Danú all over the US, the UK, Europe, Newfoundland and New Zealand.
Caoimhín is a graduate of UCC with an MA in Irish and has a keen interest in the songs of the Déise and their airs.
Introducing
Paddy Tutty was born in 1981 and comes from Dungarvan, in west Waterford. Paddy’s musical start in life was a little later than most to say the least, as he didnt actually start playing until he was seventeen. Coming from a musical family, Paddy remembers his granfather, the late Tommy Norris playing the fiddle when he was growing up, along with constant Irish music being played on the radio at home. This was certainly a massive inspiration to him from an early age, however Paddy was never pushed into the music and thankfully this seemed to make him work even harder when he finally did start.
Paddy remembers being inspired by a Danú concert that he attended in his hometown, Dungarvan, Co Waterford. He started playing the bodhrán soon after in sessions in Dungarvan and very quickly progressed on to the fiddle.
Paddy is self-taught on bodhrán, fiddle, banjo and more recently has learned and taken-up the upright double bass.
Paddy is a founding member of the group Caladh Nua. With four aclaimed albums to-date, the group formed back in 2009 with their debut album 'Happy Days'. This was followed-up by 'Next Stop' (2011), 'Honest to Goodness' (2014) and 'Free and Easy' in 2016. More recently Paddy recorded a Flute & Fiddle duet with Caoimhín Ó Fearghail titled ‘Flute & Fiddle’ (2018).
As well as having a musical family backround, Paddy was also very fortunate that there was a high standard of carpentry skills going back through the generations of his family. For his Leaving Cert woodwork project he made his own first fiddle which would ultimately steer him in a direction that was both difficult but very rewarding. He has made many more since then and has come a long way in the trade to a point where he now has his own fiddle making business.
Between Caladh Nua and with various other groups, Paddy has played in the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, France Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, China, India, and New Zealand.
Also availabe from Copperplate
Caoimhin O'Fearghaill: Uilleann Piping from Waterford
Caladh Nua Happy Days
Audio Samples.
Track 1: Tapping Toes
Track 2: The Ballyoran HP
Track 3: Paddy Sean Nancy's
Track 4: Palm Sunday
Track Listing
- Ambrose Molonet's/Support from America #1
- Tapping Toes/ather Kelly's Farewell
- McGettrick's
- An Londubh/The Ballyoran
- Gerdie Commane's/Paddy Sean Nancy's/Miss Lyons
- The Wicklow HP/Tommy Maguire's #4
- Clancy's Single Jig/One of Johnny's Own/
- The Holy Land
- Kiliglass Lakes/Farewell to Ballinahulla
- Connie in the Pool/The Gortnatubrid Polkas
- Palm Sunday/Mulqueeny's
- Tommy Bhetty's Waltz
- George White's/The Humours of Lissadell
Press Reviews
THE IRISH ECHO REVIEWS
This week I’ve been listening to “Flute & Fiddle,” an absolutely lovely album by Caoimhín Ó Fearghail (flute, guitar, & bouzouki) and Paddy Tutty (fiddle, bodhrán), a pair of young, super players who really seem to understand how to draw out the sweetness in traditional music.
Yes, yes, I know I’m a little late to the party with this one (Ó Fearghail passed me the album over the summer), but having finally listened (it emerged from a pile on my very messy desk) I found an album that Echo readers who haven’t yet heard it will definitely want to seek out – it’s beautiful stuff. Daniel Neely
