Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (born 28 August 1979) is a

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...

, born in Dublin, Ireland, who attended

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, becoming a Scholar in

Theoretical Physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

(1999) and earning a First Class BA degree (as the top student of his class) in 2001. He is known for developing a drone-based fiddle style heavily influenced by the

uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from thei ...

and the music of Sliabh Luachra. Ó Raghallaigh spent several summers working part- and full-time in the Irish Traditional Music Archives in Dublin, opening up a wealth of old recordings which influenced his repertoire and style. Together with uilleann piper Mick O'Brien, he recorded ''Kitty Lie Over'', named no.1 traditional album of 2003 by Earle Hitchner in American newspaper the Irish Echo. He performs regularly with West Kerry accordion player Brendan Begley, and has collaborated many times with sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird. He has also performed with Icelandic group

Amiina Amiina (formerly Amína, stylized in lowercase) is an Icelandic band composed of members Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, and Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen and Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson. In the past they have frequent ...

Sam Amidon Samuel Tear Amidon (born June 3, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Musical career In 2001, Amidon self-released ''Solo Fiddle'', an album of traditional Irish fiddle instrumentals. Amidon's first album of ...

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among others. He is a member of two contemporary traditional music groups: The Gloaming (with Martin Hayes, Iarla Ó Lionáird,

Dennis Cahill Dennis Cahill was an Irish missionary priest working in western Maryland, USA, in the late 1700s, where he founded several Catholic parishes in the Potomac River valley area. History Cahill was involved in the founding of several Catholic paris ...

and Thomas Bartlett) and This Is How We Fly (with Petter Berndalen, Nic Gareiss and Seán Mac Erlaine). He has also worked in theatre, having been commissioned by the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

to write music, and works regularly with Gare St Lazare Players. He contributed music to the 2015 movie

Brooklyn (film) ''Brooklyn'' is a 2015 romantic period drama film directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby, based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Colm Tóibín. A co-production between the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada, it stars Saoi ...

, a set of reels recorded especially for the purpose with Mayo accordion player Fiachna Ó Mongáin. As well as playing on violin and

Hardanger fiddle A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than ...

, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh plays an instrument made by Norwegian luthier Salve Hakedal, a fiddle with five bowed strings and five sympathetic strings, a cross between a Hardanger fiddle and a five string violin or

viola d'amore The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin. Structure and sound The vio ...

which he calls a Hardanger d'Amore, first made for American Hardanger fiddle player Dan Trueman, and commissioned by Caoimhín with the head and tailpiece of Salve Hakedal's Viola d’Amore model. Ó Raghallaigh uses crosstunings or

scordatura Scordatura (; literally, Italian for "discord", or "mistuning") is a tuning of a string instrument that is different from the normal, standard tuning. It typically attempts to allow special effects or unusual chords or timbre, or to make certain p ...

(common in Norwegian and old-time American fiddling), and uses baroque and transitional bows made by Michel Jamonneau. Ó Raghallaigh also used to play a Viola Pellegrina Pomposa by American luthier David Rivinus, a highly asymmetrical five-string viola. Caoimhín also plays

tin whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria ...

, flute and

, having been taught whistle and flute by Co. Clare flute-player

Michael Tubridy Michael "Mick" Tubridy (born 1935 at Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland) is an Irish musician, step dancer and structural engineer. Career In November 1962, he was a founder member of the traditional Irish music group, The Chieftains, with whom ...

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and Ceoltóirí Chualann. In 2011 he premiered ''The Valley of the Lunatics'', a work written for him by Dave Flynn, at the Masters of Tradition Festival in Bantry. Part of this piece is used in the soundtrack to the film '' The Enigma of Frank Ryan.'' In 2019, he and fellow Gloaming member Thomas Bartlett released a special self-titled album of studio collaborations the pair had recorded together during gaps in the group's touring schedule.

Discography

*''Turas go Tír na nÓg'' (1999, out of print) *''Kitty Lie Over'' (2003, with Mick O'Brien) *''Where the One-Eyed Man is King'' (2007) *''Comb Your Hair and Curl It'' (2010, with Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh and Catherine McEvoy) *''Triúr sa Draighean'' (2010, with

Peadar Ó Riada Peadar is a masculine given name in the Irish, and Scottish Gaelic languages (in Manx Gaelic orthography the same name is rendered "Peddyr"). The names are ultimately derived from the Greek word ''petros'', meaning "stone", "rock". The Scottish ...

and Martin Hayes) *''A Moment of Madness'' (2010, with Brendan Begley) *''Deadly Buzz'' (2011, with Mick O'Brien) *''Triúr Arís'' (2012, with

and Martin Hayes) *''Triúr Omós'' (2013, with

and Martin Hayes) *''This is How we Fly'' (2013, with Seán Mac Erlaine, Nic Gareiss and Petter Berndalen) *''The Gloaming'' (2014, on

Brassland Records Brassland is an independent record label founded in 2001 by Alec Hanley Bemis, Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner. History In Brassland's early years, Bemis worked as a freelance journalist for ''LA Weekly'' and ''The New York Times''. The Dessners ...

and Realworld Records, with Iarla O Lionaird, Martin Hayes,

and Thomas Bartlett) *''Music for an Elliptical Orbit'' (2014, on

Diatribe Records Diatribe Records is an independent record label based in Dublin, Ireland. Artists Artists and composers released on the label include Gilad Atzmon, Gerald Barry, Ed Bennett, John Buckley, Elliott Carter, Ben Davis, Donnacha Dennehy, Kit Down ...

) *''Laghdú'' (2014, on IrishMusic.net Records, with Dan Trueman) *''The Gloaming 2'' (2016, on

and Realworld Records, with Iarla O Lionaird, Martin Hayes,

and Thomas Bartlett) *''Foreign Fields'' (2017, with Seán Mac Erlaine, Nic Gareiss and Petter Berndalen) *''All Soundings are True'' (2017, with Garth Knox, on

) *''The Gloaming: Live at the NCH'' (2018, on

and Realworld Records, with Iarla O Lionaird, Martin Hayes,

and Thomas Bartlett) *''The Gloaming 3'' (2019, on Realworld Records, with Iarla O Lionaird, Martin Hayes,

and Thomas Bartlett) * ''Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Thomas Bartlett'' (2019, on Realworld Records, with Thomas Bartlett)

References

External links

*
Official website - Caoimhin and Thomas
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oraghallaigh, Caoimhin 1979 births Living people 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people 21st-century violinists Alumni of Trinity College Dublin BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Dublin fiddlers Irish fiddlers Irish folk musicians Musicians from County Dublin People educated at The High School, Dublin Scholars of Trinity College Dublin The Gloaming members