Video 35 Nuala Kennedy Interview 

Glad you enjoyed it! Are you a flute player yourself ? No pressure but would you like to introduce yourself to the group ?

@@scottishflute3444 Flute Trajectory: My first encounter with Cathal McConnell in 1980 included the words: “You should get a good flute.” From that point on I was on a quest to find a suitable instrument. Like many yanks who live in mid-sized towns that only have conventional music stores and sensibilities, it was a hard slog to find instruments to play. There were many years of buy/try, and sell. Finally, in 2000 I contacted Hammy Hamilton, who built me a 6-key, then a very nice short foot D keyless. I also have a wonderful collection of excellent whistles that I’ve narrowed down to the best sounding ~20 that I’ve used for recording and performing. The Music: I am a dance musician. I’ve played Irish and Scottish music in several bands for decades. The best opportunity for regular gigs where I am living is to play in Contra Dance bands, and I have gigged weekly since 1980 doing that. In around 2000 I joined a Scottish Country Dance band called The Musik Makars (recordings available on All Celtic Music, Music Scotland, and Spotify). That band has now morphed into a SCD band called Highland Square, and we play for Highland Balls and dance weekends. I also am in a long standing Contra Dance band called Toppish that was part of a curriculum at a college for about 20 years, and is still gigging. In the Contra band I play guitar and use a looper, which frees me up to play flute with the two fiddlers and pianist. I’ve toured throughout the US, and pre-Covid would go to Ireland every few years to play sessions with another band (Floating Crowbar) throughout Ireland. Curiosity: In a former life, I was a concert producer, and music shop owner, which is where I became acquainted with many of these artists. Fluters who inspired my style: Phil Smillie, Grey Larsen, Cathal O’Connell, Paul McGrattan, Conal O’Grada, Cormac Breatnach, Matt Molloy, Niall Keegan, et al. And, of course, I admire Nuala Kennedy’s free flowing, creative style.

Great - Thanks for that and thanks for coming to the Scottish Flute Channel