Flutist going to Ireland

[mtpaper]

My daughter is a high school senior who will be touring Ireland later this month with our local orchestra, on flute; she'll be studying music performance in the fall.

She'd like to start collecting ethnic flutes & whistles.

Any suggestions of not-to-miss shops in Ireland?

[MTGuru]

It might help to mention the tour itinerary: Dublin, Galway, Killarney, Kilkenny.

Music shops in Dublin: Waltons, McCullough-Piggott, McNeill's, Charlie Byrne's
Music shop in Galway city: Powell's

If it's souvenirs she's after, every tourist shop carries a selection of D whistles. Feadóg, Clare, Waltons (and Guinness) are Irish-made. Should be under $10 each.

Irish-made timber-style flutes run from around $400 to start up to several thousand, and are usually custom ordered, but you may find some in the shops, new or used. Collecting them is an expensive hobby ...

Ethnic ... Well, in Ireland, American instruments are "ethnic".

Hope your daughter enjoys her tour!

[benhall.1]

This is a really hard question to answer. I don't live in Ireland, but I pop over whenever I can, which tends to be about 3 times a year. I know Dublin pretty well, and other parts even better. Unless some native can put me right, I don't believe that music shops would be the place to look. Most of them won't stock much of a range of either flutes or whistles. There are much better music shops, even for these instruments, elsewhere in the world. However, there are some fine makers dotted around the place. Quite a few are in Ireland but there are also a fair few elsewhere in the world.

But I have a couple of questions:

What constitutes an "ethnic" flute or whistle?
What price range did you have in mind?

[Cross-post, with some similar thoughts, I do believe, though not so well expressed on my part. ]

[Steve Bliven]

Custy's in Ennis had a number of "high-end" whistles (that term is used with due caution) in stock as of last Fall.

Best wishes.

Steve

[mtpaper]

thanks folks - sorry about using wrong terminology; I really don't know what I'm talking about.

Itinerary: Galway, Killarney, Kilkenny and Dublin

She's not looking for souvenirs, but nor is she looking to spend $400+
probably about $100-$200

aside from purchasing, are there any flute/whistle makers where she could go?
Would it be by appointment?

[s1m0n]

She's not looking for souvenirs, but nor is she looking to spend $400+
probably about $100-$200

That's a dangerous price in the irish or wooden flute biz. At that level all you are likely to find are unplayable fake irish flutes, typically from Pakistan. They can look OK from a distance or to someone who doesn't already play a wooden flute, but they are not worth a tenth of the price. Avoid at any cost.

You can find 8 keyed wooden flutes from the nineteenth C at that price if they're of the continental* style if you're a) lucky, b) the flute needs a modest repair, or c) it was designed to play to a higher pitch standard than is accounted 'concert pitch' today. This is more likely to occur on ebay than it is in an irish music shop, however. keywords for one of these might be 'french', 'nach meyer' or (outside ireland) 'german'.

*Which is unlike the larger-holed english flutes which have become the Celtic music axe of choice for their greater volume and powerful tone.

[JS]

A similar question came up on the whistle forum not long ago:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=80369&hilit=ireland

[MTGuru]

She's not looking for souvenirs, but nor is she looking to spend $400+

Actually, I didn't mean "souvenirs" pejoratively. I think musical instruments make great souvenirs, and those $10 whistles are far from toys; some of the best whistle and flute players in the world play them.

As for flutes ... As you're finding out, they're a different story.

[MTGuru]

aside from purchasing, are there any flute/whistle makers where she could go? Would it be by appointment?

Since no one else has stepped in yet ...

Yes, by appointment. These folks are craftsmen, and not necessarily happy to interrupt their work for visitors unless you're serious about purchasing an instrument.

Many of the finest makers of Irish flutes are not located in Ireland. But here are a few who are, from Jem Hammond's Wooden Flute Makers list. And I'm sure there are others.

M&E Cronnolly (Mayo) http://www.irishflutes.co.uk/
Arie De Keyzer (Dublin) http://users.telenet.be/ariedekeyzer/
Hammy Hamilton (Cork) http://www.hamiltonflutes.com/
David O’Brien (Clare) http://www.traditionalirishflutes.com/
Michael Vignoles (Galway) http://www.michaelvignoles.com/flutes.html
Glenn Watson (Galway) http://www.watsonflutes.com/

Honestly, it's not like other parts of the world where you might expect to find inexpensive but playable folk flutes to take home. Pennywhistles and cheap painted bodhráns seem to fill that role. Irish flutes are comparable to fine orchestral instruments (or they are orchestral instruments), and are priced accordingly.

But really, if your daughter has no experience playing Irish music, she's far better off seeking out the music, not the instruments. Visit a few pub sessions, meet the musicians, ask for a "flute demo". Then pick up a pennywhistle and some recordings, and start learning the music before anything else.