Chiff and Fipple Forums

I just learned the death has occurred of Michael Falsey of Seafield, Quilty.

Michael was a piper, flute and whistleplayer. One of the old guard. Perhaps the last of the Clare pipers of that generation. May he rest well.

I never heard him play the pipes, but have fond memories of hearing him play for the first flute class I was in at the Willie Clancy week in 1980, at the invitation of another great player no longer with us, P.J. Crotty [RIP]. A quiet, unassuming gentleman with an obvious great love and respect for the music of Ireland, and Co. Clare in particular.
Very sad to hear this, RIP.

He alsoused to teach a fluteclass with Bill McNamara at WCSS during the eighties.

On the cover of Hammy's flute book is a photograph of three fluteplayers, Michael, his father and Joe Cuneen(r to l).

In his young days he played competitions at the feis. He told me he 'played against Johnny Doran', as he put it, in a whistle competition. And won. He also had a prize cup, the Johnny Doran Cup, that was a source of great pride to him.

RIP Michael Falsey.

Whatever happened to Bill McNamara?

Bill is still around. Living in Ennis.

Michael's deathnotice

Sorry to hear this news. We met Michael a few times when we were in Miltown Malbay. Always enjoyed talking to him about his recollections of hearing Johnny Doran play, and as Peter mentioned, how he won the "Johnny Doran cup" for his whistle playing (edit). I didn't know at that time that Michael was also a flute player and singer. Here Michael plays a jig "Molloy's wife"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwmDPhHr-3M

Michael was one of the last to have vibrant first hand memories of Johnny Doran (as well as local lore, building of currachs and whathaveyou). There was one occasion they had Johnny play in a shop on the flag road. The shop had a bit of a gallery or a landing and some of the lads sat up there while Johnny was below working his magic. I have actually heard the same recollection from one man who was there, now long gone, and from each telling it was clear what an occasion ir was and what an impression it left.


Here's an image of Michael talking about Johnny, in the company of Paddy Donoghue, who was also a great source of memories of Johnny (Paddy's father Mickey, a concertinaplayer, regularly had Johnny camp in the 'haggard' for weeks when he was in the area), surrounded by an audience of members of the extended Doran family:

Sad news. My condolences to his family.

It's been a tough couple of weeks for the traditional music community.

Sad news.

We used to enjoy visits from Michael when he would ask me to repair something on his pipes and proceed to tell us lots of stories. He was very entertaining and a fine musician too.

I am just back from Michael's funeral.

Restrictions on the attendance of funerals etc were recently lifted but I still felt apprehensive going into a crowded space, especially with covid rates skyrocketing badly again. Music was already going when I arrived and I was waved into the musician's corner when I came in. There was a fair number of musicians playing inside the church and that number only increased at the graveside. I sat outside the pews on a stool, back to a radiator, playing the whistle. Seán Talty and Neillidh Mulligan played the pipes inside the church, I spotted Mickey Dunne later outside as well, playing the fiddle but there were perhaps thirty or so musicians playing. A good send off.


Here's Seán and Neillidh playing A Stor Mo Chroi towards the end of the mass (Mick O Connor sitting right behind them):

Thanks Peter for the wonderful photographs and description of the funeral.

Sad to hear of Michael's passing. A lovely man who always said hello and had time for a chat.

Glad to hear that he got a good send off.

John

You're welcome John.

Mick O'Connor is gong to do an appreciation for the ITMA website and probably something will end up in the Piobaire in time as well.

As it happens I am working on some galleries for the ITMA site, the first one is up but going live in the next couple of days. Last week I had set aside one of the images of Michael for the second gallery and was thinking of him. The next day the news arrived. I hadn't seen him since the lockdowns started but he was increasingly frail the last few times I talked to him.

Anyhow, here is another image, with Michael J. Sexton, two of the old Miltown pipers.



There was some footage in the opening sequence of some series of 'Come west along the road/Siar an Bothar' of the Laichtin Naofa playing at the fleadh in Kilrush, Michael was in that with the pipes , with Junior, Mchael Downes, Paddy Galvin and the rest of them. I have some images taken in Gleeson's during the nineties, where they, Junior, Michael Downes on the stage, Michael Falsey with the pipes seated on the edge of it, are seated in almost exactly the same way as the old footage.

He was also part of the band in the welknown photos of the Laichtin Naofa, here sitting beside JC Talty on the front row, second from the right:


but he was at times also part of the Quilty Ceiliband, the Tulla and the Kilfenora as well as other groups.

I'll add an image I scanned ages ago for a neighbour, unfortunately I didn't have a high res scanner at that time. The photo was taken outside JC Talty's house in Caherrush, JC and Michael playing flute and pipes respectively.

Sad news indeed. Thank you Peter for posting the historical images.