Michael John Hoy (1913 – 12 June 2000), singer,

fiddler A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Although in many ...

, composer, and storyteller, was born in

Monea Monea () is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, about northwest of Enniskillen. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 114. Transport Ulsterbus route 59 provides several journeys a day to/from Enniskillen an ...

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

, Northern Ireland. In his youth he was hired at the

Derrygonnelly Derrygonnelly () is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Near Lower Lough Erne, the village was home to 680 people at the 2011 Census This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under th ...

Fair by a farmer who played the fiddle. It was from this farmer that he learned to play the instrument. He played in the 1930s and 1940s with local Céilí bands, the Sillees and the Knockmore Céilí Band. He lived most of his life in

Blaney Blaney () is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It lies on the southern shore of Lower Lough Erne, west of Enniskillen. It is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district. History The area takes its name from ...

and played mainly in

. Mick came from a musical family but stood out as the main talent with his huge repertoire of tunes and songs. His singing style was subtle with beautiful use of glottal stops and variations in phrasing. One of the finest fiddlers of his generation, his powerful style was an interesting blend of Northern and Southern elements. He had a stock of distinctly local tunes, many of which he got from his old friend, the great flute-player

Eddie Duffy Eddie Duffy (1894–1986) was a traditional Irish musician. Many of his songs and tunes came from his mother, who played the accordion. Music He was influenced by the playing of William Carroll and Laurence Nugent, from Lack, County Fermanagh. ...

. In turn he passed his music on to fellow-musicians such as

Cathal McConnell Cathal McConnell (born 1944) is a musician and singer best known as the mainstay of traditional band The Boys of the Lough, of which he was a founder member. His main instruments are the Irish flute and the tin whistle. Early life McConnell came ...

(of

The Boys of the Lough The Boys of the Lough is a Scottish-Irish Celtic music band active since the 1970s. Early years Their first album, called ''Boys of the Lough'' (1972) consisted of Aly Bain (fiddle), Cathal McConnell (flute), Dick Gaughan (vocals and guitar) and ...

), Altan, Seamus Quinn, Ben Lennon, Jim McGrath and others. In 1986 the Arts Council of Northern Ireland published ''Here is a Health'', a cassette release of songs, fiddle tunes and stories recorded by Seán Corcoran in the Derrygonnelly area between 1979 and 1985. Mick Hoy on featured ten of the album’s twenty-six tracks.

Eddie Duffy and Mick Hoy Memorial Traditional Music Festival

In memory of Mick Hoy and Eddie Duffy, the Eddie Duffy and Mick Hoy Memorial Traditional Music Festival takes place every year on the second weekend in October in Derrygonnelly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoy, Mick Fiddlers from Northern Ireland Folk singers from Northern Ireland Musicians from County Fermanagh 1913 births 2000 deaths 20th-century musicians from Northern Ireland 20th-century male singers from Northern Ireland 20th-century violinists