Irish flute facts for kids
Matt Molloy playing flute in Westport in March 2000
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| Classification |
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| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 421.121.12 (open side-blown flute with fingerholes) |
| Playing range | |
 (B3) C4–C7 (F7)
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| Related instruments | |
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The Irish flute is a special type of wooden flute. It's similar to the flutes played by classical musicians in the early 1800s. Many modern Irish flutes are also made this way. They are often changed slightly to sound best for Irish Traditional Music, Scottish Traditional Music, or music from other Celtic nations. Most people who play traditional Irish flute use a wooden flute with a simple system.
You can find the Irish flute played in every county in Ireland. However, it's especially popular in the mid-western counties. These include Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, and parts of Fermanagh, Galway, Clare, and Limerick.
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What Makes the Irish Flute Special?
The Irish flute is a side-blown instrument. It plays a diatonic (Major) scale as you uncover its tone holes. Many flutes from the Classical era had metal keys. Some modern ones do too, to play more notes.
Because it's made of wood and played in a certain way, the simple system flute sounds different. It has a unique timbre compared to the Western concert flute. Irish flute players often aim for a dark, rich sound.
Most Irish flutes are pitched in the key of D. This means its lowest note is D. However, you can also find them in E flat, B flat, and C.
How Do You Finger Notes on an Irish Flute?
The flute has six main holes for your fingers. For a D flute, which is the most common:
- To play D, you cover all six holes (three fingers on each hand).
- As you lift fingers, you play higher notes.
- For example, lifting the bottom finger on your right hand plays E.
- Lifting the next finger plays F#.
- And so on, to play the full D major scale.
Wooden flutes have a special shape inside. The part near your mouth is cylindrical. The rest of the flute is conical, meaning it gets narrower towards the end. This design helps make the flute shorter for its pitch.
Irish Flute vs. Modern Flute
There can be some confusion with modern flutes. A modern Boehm flute is usually pitched in C. This is because it has extra keys to reach a low C. However, if you cover just the six main holes on a modern metal Boehm flute, you get a D.
The simple system D wooden flute is actually quite similar to a modern C Boehm flute in how you finger notes. Theobald Boehm completely changed the flute design. His Boehm flute has a cylindrical bore and uses keys. This makes it easier to play all the notes in the chromatic scale.
How the Irish Flute Developed
The Irish flute didn't actually start in Ireland. The simple system, conical-bore flute was popular before the modern Boehm system Western concert flute came along in the mid-1800s. These flutes are usually made of wood. Popular woods include cocus, grenadilla (African blackwood), rosewood, and ebony.
Many companies made these flutes. One important person was Charles Nicholson Jr. He was an English inventor and flautist. He greatly improved the transverse wooden flute.
Later in the 1800s, two main styles of flutes became popular. They were made by London companies: Rudall & Rose and Boosey & Co. Boosey & Co. made the Pratten flute, named after Robert Sidney Pratten. He was a famous flautist.
The Pratten flute had a wider bore, which gave it a bigger sound. Rudall & Rose flutes were known for a darker, purer tone. They often made flutes from cocus wood and boxwood. Many of these old flutes had a foot joint. This allowed players to play C# and C using keys.
Simple system flutes were not made for folk musicians. But amateur players started using them when concert musicians switched to newer flutes. A flute maker named Samuel Colin Hamilton thinks military flute and fife bands helped. These bands were common in Ireland in the 1800s. They helped people get used to the flute for dance music. Also, Ireland's economy improved, so more people could buy instruments.
Modern Irish Flutes and Makers
Today, "simple system Irish" flutes are still made. They are used for many traditional music styles. In Irish music, wood is the most common material. But you can also find flutes made from Delrin, PVC, and even bamboo. Wood is still the most popular choice.
Modern Irish flutes can have different numbers of metal keys, or no keys at all. They are usually tuned using modern methods. This means they sound better with other modern instruments. All of them have the basic six-hole design, like a tinwhistle.
Today's flute makers often copy old designs. They focus on specific models or serial numbers. They also make sure the flutes are tuned to modern pitch standards.
Here are some modern Irish wooden flute makers:
- Eamonn Cotter - based in County Clare.
- Martin Doyle - based near Liscannor, in County Clare.
- Hammy Hamilton - based in Cúil Aodha, West Cork.
- Terry McGee - based in Australia.
How to Play the Irish Flute
Playing the Irish flute in traditional Irish music is similar to playing the tin whistle. Players use special musical ornaments to make the music more interesting. These include cuts, strikes, and rolls.
Common Ornaments
- Cut and strike: A "cut" is quickly lifting and putting down a finger. A "strike" is quickly hitting and lifting a finger from an open hole.
- Rolls: A "roll" is a note that starts with a cut and then a strike. You can also think of a roll as a group of notes that are the same pitch and length, but played differently.
- Cranns: "Cranns" (or "crans") come from the Uilleann piping tradition. They are like rolls, but they only use cuts, not strikes.
Regional Styles and Famous Players
The flute is linked to different regions in Ireland. Each region has its own special way of playing.
Roscommon - Sligo Style
This style is usually fast and has many ornaments. A great example of the Sligo style is Matt Molloy. He is from Ballahaderreen, County Roscommon. Other players include Eddie Cahill, John Joe Gardiner, Carmel Gunning, and Peter Horan.
Roscommon Style
Matt Molloy is also known for the Roscommon style. Other players include Patsy Hanly, John P. Carty, and Bernard Flaherty. Catherine McEvoy has released several CDs in this style. Peg McGrath and Frank Jordan are also well-known.
Leitrim and Northern Style
Leitrim has its own unique flute tradition. This style is very rhythmic. It uses less ornamentation. Players often use glottal stops and tonguing. John McKenna is a very important player from this area. He is seen as one of the most influential flute players in Irish music history.
Modern players in this style include Desy Adams, Harry Bradley, and Packie Duignan.
Fermanagh Style
The Fermanagh style is a mix of the simpler northern approach and the more ornamented Sligo and Leitrim styles. Eddie Duffy was a great player of this style. Cathal McConnell, from the band Boys of the Lough, helped share this music worldwide.
James McMahon was a Fermanagh-born flutist and composer. He wrote a jig called "The Ivory Flute" and the popular reel "The Banshee." John Joe Maguire also helped keep the music alive in Fermanagh. Laurence ("Larry") Nugent is another well-known flutist from Lack, Fermanagh.
East Galway Style
The East Galway style is more relaxed and flowing. Paddy Carty played in this style. Other players include Mike Rafferty and Jim Conroy. The Moloney family and Tom Morrison are also important figures. Vincent Broderick was a master of this style. He even won the All-Ireland flute competition with his own song.
Clare Style
County Clare has several different playing styles. Micho Queally was a famous flute player in the 1800s. Well-known flautists from Clare include the Russell brothers, Kevin Crawford, and Peadar O'Loughlin. Eamonn Cotter and Garry Shannon are also important. Many flutists have played with the famous Kilfenora Céilí Band and Tulla Céilí Band.
More Great Irish Flute Players
Here are some other amazing players of Irish traditional music on the flute:
- Billy Clifford, who played with his mother Julia Clifford.
- Ciara Considine
- Tara Diamond and her father Leslie Bingham.
- Paul McGlinchey, from Omagh, County Tyrone.
- Tom Doorley, who played with Danú.
- Seamus Egan
- Brian Finnegan
- Steph Geremia
- Skip Healy, who also makes flutes.
- Neansaí Ní Choisdealbha, a music editor and radio host.
- Frankie Kennedy, who focused on Donegal music.
- Joanie Madden
- Michael McGoldrick
- Louise Mulcahy, named Female Musician of the Year in 2015.
- Caoimhín Ó Fearghail, TG4 Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2012.
- Chris Norman (flautist)
- Francis O'Neill
- John Skelton, who played with The House Band.
- Calum Stewart
- Paddy Taylor, a key player in London in the 1940s.
- Michael Tubridy
Recordings to Check Out
- Josie McDermott: Darby's Farewell - An LP from 1977, reissued on CD in 2000.
- Séamus Tansey: Traditional Irish Music (also called The Best of Séamus Tansey) - Recorded in 1971.
