Irish flute: facts, history, and everything else you need to know about the Irish instrument

Traditional Irish music is a key part of Irish culture and tradition. Here are some facts about Ireland’s unique instrument, the Irish flute.Traditional music has been played in Irish pubs for as long as there have existed. We are certain there were powerful trad sessions long before the advent of pubs.

The Irish flute, which was introduced into trad music in 1897, has been a very popular instrument in trad sessions. It’s a compact, easy-to-carry instrument, which is also easier to learn than other more complicated instruments. The flute’s beautiful high notes add a lot of beauty to any song.

What is an Irish flute?

The Irish flute is made from wood.
A traditional Irish flute is a cylindrical, wood-based wind instrument.
Concert flutes are usually made of silver or nickel and sound very different from an Irish wooden flute used in traditional Irish music.
Eight holes are typical for a traditional flute. You can cover six of them with your fingers to alter the notes. The hole at the top you blow into to create resonance. The hole at the bottom is where sound and air come out.

The flute will produce a different sound depending on how many finger holes are covered. It can be difficult to learn how to play the flute. You have to blow into it at a certain angle. Traditional Irish flutes are in the key D. This means that they can play the notes D F# G A C#. The flutes can be made in other keys, or with additional holes in the key D that allow you to play different notes.

Origin of Irish Flute

Traditional music is an important part of Irish culture. The Irish flute, although a traditional instrument of Ireland, is not native to Ireland. It was introduced to Ireland by the English in the mid-1800s. Initial flutes were made of bones, then wood. However, a German inventor named Theobald Boehm introduced the flute to Ireland. He had already made the first flute from silver. The Irish preferred the soft tones of old wooden flutes, and they chose to play them.

Many things have changed between the original flutes and our current Irish flutes. Charles Nicholson Jr, an inventor made many positive improvements to the traditional wooden flute. Most of the origins of the instrument are associated with counties in mid-to-west Ireland, such as Roscommon and Sligo, Leitrim. Fermanagh, Clare and Galway.

Irish Flute Markers

Eamonn Cotter, Pariac McNeela, Martin Doyle are Ireland’s most well-known flute makers. Both are based in County Clare. Eamonn Cotter and Martin Doyle are two other prominent Irish flute makers. Terry McGee is also based in Australia, but exports his flutes all over the world.

Whether you’re a beginner or advanced music player, buy your Irish flutes from authentic Irish flute makers

Famous Irish flute players – Great musicians

Here’s a list of highly skilled flute players to help you experience the best that the Irish flute has to offer.

Matt Molloy is one the most famous, if not the best, players in the world. He is well-known for his role as the flute player in The Chieftains.
Even though Catherine McEvoy was born in Birmingham, England, she is well-known among musicians. Like many flute players, her family is from Roscommon and it was there that she discovered her passion for the flute.
John McKenna, a Leitrim native, was born in 1880 and left for America in 1909. McKenna recorded his flute playing in 1921, and has had a profound influence on flute players ever since.
Peter Horan, another well-known Irish flute player, was born in Sligo in the year 1926. Peter was a fiddle player with Fred Finn until his death in 2010. The duo were hugely popular in the Sligo music scene.