Declan Masterson is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

uilleann piper, traditional musician, composer and arranger. In addition to pursuing a solo career and playing with Moving Hearts and

Patrick Street Patrick Street is an Irish folk group founded by Kevin Burke (formerly of The Bothy Band) on fiddle, Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty) on mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica and vocals, Jackie Daly ( De Dannan) on button accordion, and Art ...

, Masterson was one of the ''

Riverdance ''Riverdance'' is a theatrical show that consists mainly of traditional Irish music and dance. With a score composed by Bill Whelan, it originated as an interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest 1994, featuring Irish dancing champions Je ...

'' musicians. He has performed and recorded with many artists,''Declan Masterson'' Discography credits.
''allmusic.com''. Retrieved on 5 March 2015.
''celtic-music-net.com''. Retrieved on 9 March 2015. including:

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays left-handed guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozai ...

, Andy Irvine,

Bill Whelan Bill Whelan (born 22 May 1950 in Limerick, Ireland) is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The result, ''Riverdance'', was a seven-minute display of tradi ...

Clannad Clannad () is an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan. They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history, including ...

, Jim McCann, Eleanor McEvoy,

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

, Michael Londra, Zoë Conway,

Ronnie Drew Joseph Ronald Drew (16 September 1934 – 16 August 2008) was an Irish singer, folk musician and actor who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He is most recognised for his lead vocals on the si ...

(with Bono),Credits for "Drinkin' in the Day"
Ronnie Drew, ''Dirty Rotten Shame'' (1995). ''u2wanderer.org.'' Retrieved on 26 August 2016. John Denver and Christy Moore, among others.

Early years

Born in Cabra, Dublin,Declan Masterson's birthplace.
Retrieved on 5 March 2015. Masterson grew up in a musical family, and learned to play the pipes and other instruments at an early age. He was encouraged by his parents Frances and Jim, who both played traditional music, and by his uncle Jimmy O'Reilly, a

squeezebox The term squeezebox (also squeeze box, squeeze-box) is a colloquial expression referring to any musical instrument of the general class of hand-held bellows-driven free reed aerophones such as the accordion and the concertina. The term is so a ...

player from

Multyfarnham Multyfarnham or Multyfarnam () is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland. History First founded in 1268, the Franciscan monastery at Multyfarnham is still home to a community of friars. During the English conquest of Ireland in the 17th cent ...

, County Westmeath.Sleeve notes from ''Declan Masterson – Heartland'', Heartland FRCD 05, 2005. He took a keen interest in the uilleann pipes and was mentored by pipe maker Matt Kiernan, who lived nearby and made his first set. Masterson first played with the Pipers Club Céilí Band, and his first group was Tipsy Sailor, which included Gerry O'Connor (banjo) and Fiách Ó Broin (flute).Sleeve notes from ''Declan Masterson – End of Harvest'', Gael Linn CEFCD 148, 1990.''Declan Masterson'', in ''Folk Roots'' No.136, October 1994. Masterson gained a Leaving Certificate from O'Connell School, Dublin, in 1974.O'Connell School - 1974 OCS Leaving Certificate Class Registers.
Retrieved on 21 March 2019.

Music career

Moving Hearts

The group Moving Hearts was formed in 1981 when two members of Planxty,

(

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

) and Christy Moore (vocals, guitar and

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'' or ''bodhráns'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or oth ...

), decided to explore the possibilities of linking contemporary music to Irish traditional music. They initially intended to form a trio with guitarist

Declan Sinnott Declan Sinnott (born 29 July 1950) is an Irish musician and record producer. Originally from Wexford town, where his father was an optician and jeweller on Main Street, he came to Dublin in the late 1960s. Around 1970 he was a member of the poe ...

, but then expanded the group to include Irish musicians Keith Donald (alto sax), Eoghan O'Neill (bass), Brian Calnan (drums), and Davy Spillane (

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 ...

). After several changes of personnel and the recording of three albums, '' Moving Hearts'' (1981), ''

The Dark End Of The Street "The Dark End of the Street" is a 1967 soul song, written by songwriters Dan Penn and Chips Moman and first recorded by James Carr. History and original recording The song was co-written by Penn, a professional songwriter and producer, and Mo ...

'' (1982) and '' Live Hearts'' (1983), Moving Hearts performed as an instrumental group, recording the album '' The Storm'' (1985)''The Storm''.
''discogs.com''. Retrieved on 5 March 2015. with a new line-up consisting of: Spillane and Masterson (uilleann pipes), Lunny (bouzouki, synthesiser & bodhrán), Donald (sax), Noel Eccles (percussion), Matt Kelleghan (drums), O'Neill (bass) and Greg Boland (guitar). The group ceased touring in 1984, appearing only at occasional festivals like the Preseli Folk FestivalEvidence of a 'Preseli Folk Festival' scheduled for 24 May 1986.
Mentioned in 'Richard Thompson Newsletter #3', from April 1986. (See section about 'DAVE SWARBRICK', halfway down on third page). Retrieved on 5 March 2015.—now the Fishguard Folk Festival—in 1986. They performed for a sold out, farewell concert at Dublin's Point Theatre in 1990, with Flo McSweeney on vocals.

Mosaic

In the winter of 1984, Andy Irvine gathered a collection of musicians from throughout Europe and formed

Mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

, with a final line-up including Irvine himself, Lunny, Masterson, Danish Lissa Ladefoged (bass and vocals), Dutch Hans Theessink (guitar and vocals), and Hungarian singer Márta Sebestyén from

Muzsikás Muzsikás is a Hungarian musical group playing mainly folk music of Hungary and other countries and peoples of the region. Established in 1973, it has also played works by classical composers, especially Béla Bartók, who himself collected folk ...

.''Mosaic'', in ''Folk Roots'' No.29, November 1985. They performed in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

on 12 July 1985, followed by a further two gigs in Hungary and an appearance at the Dranouter

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

in Belgium in early August, prior to their English tour. Their seventh gig was billed at the

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Arts Center, which Chris Hardwick of '' Folk Roots'' reviewed with the words: "Every once in a while the folk scene throws up a new permutation in which exceptionally gifted individuals come together to produce something so innovative and exhilarating that it goes way beyond the sum of the parts".''Live Reviews'', in ''Folk Roots'' No.28, October 1985. However, the band lasted only that one summer.

Patrick Street

Masterson, along with

, joined

in time to record the album ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' (1990).

''Riverdance''

In 1994, Masterson teamed up with Whelan again and joined ''Riverdance''. He remained with the show on and off for its entire duration, playing uilleann pipes, low whistle, tin whistle, kaval and bouzouki, also taking on the duties of musical director, until the Farewell show in May 2012. He returned for the 25th Anniversary series of concerts, beginning at the 3Arena (Dublin) in February 2020, playing guitar, bouzouki, kaval and pipes. The shows planned for the 2020 US and UK tours were cancelled, with the US dates rescheduled to take place from January to July 2021.

Solo and other projects

He recorded five solo albums: ''End of the Harvest'' (1990),Review of ''End of Harvest'' in ''Reviews'', ''Folk Roots'' No.121, July 1993. ''Tropical Trad'' (1993),Review of ''Tropical Trad'' in ''Reviews'', ''Folk Roots'' No.137, November 1994.Sleeve notes from ''Declan Masterson – Tropical Trad'', STARC SCD1093, 1993. ''Fairwater Fionnuisce'' (1996),Sleeve notes from ''Declan Masterson – Fairwater'', FRCD 961, 1996. ''Drifting Through The Hazel Woods'' (1996)Sleeve notes from ''Declan Masterson – Drifting Through Hazel Woods'', Celtic Heartbeat 82943-2, 1996. and ''Heartland'' (2005). He wrote and arranged music scores for film, TV and theatre, and his piping is featured on the soundtrack of the films '' The Irish RM'' (1983-1985), '' Eat the Peach'' (1986), ''

The Secret of Roan Inish ''The Secret of Roan Inish'' is a 1994 independent fantasy-adventure film written and directed by John Sayles. It is based on the 1957 novel ''Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry'', by Rosalie K. Fry. It is centered on the Irish and Orcadian folklores ...

'' (1994)''The Secret of Roan Inish'' credits.
''discogs.com.'' Retrieved on 25 August 2016. and '' Some Mother's Son'' (1996).''Some Mother's Son'' credits.
''discogs.com.'' Retrieved on 25 August 2016. He also participated in many recordings, with a wide range of musicians (see Selected discography).

Selected discography

;Solo albums * ''End of the Harvest'' (1990) * ''Tropical Trad'' (1993) * ''Fairwater Fionnuisce'' (1996) * ''Drifting Through The Hazel Woods'' (1996) * ''Heartland'' (2005) ;With Johnny McEvoy *''Long Before Your Time'' (1976) ;With Moving Hearts * '' The Storm'' (1985) * ''Donal Lunny's Definitive Moving Hearts'' (2003) ;With Van Morrison * '' A Sense of Wonder'' (1985) ;With Danny Doyle * ''Twenty Years A-Growing'' (1987) ;With Jim McCann * ''From Tara To Here'' (1987) * ''The Collection'' (2001) ;With Patrick Street * ''

'' (1990) ;With Eleanor McEvoy * '' Eleanor McEvoy'' (1993) ;With Geraldine & Danny Doyle * ''Emigrant Eyes'' (1993) ;With Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipeband * ''By the Waters Edge'' (1994) ;With Maurice Dickson * ''Where Eagles Fly'' (1994) ;With Townes Van Zandt * '' No Deeper Blue'' (1994) ;With Bill Whelan * '' Riverdance: Music from the Show'' (1995) * '' Some Mother's Son'' (1996) * ''Roots of Riverdance'' (1997) * Riverdance 25th Anniversary .(. Music from The Show) ;With Ronnie Drew * ''

Dirty Rotten Shame ''Dirty Rotten Shame'' is an album by Ronnie Drew, released in 1995. Drew left The Dubliners in 1995, after recording this album due to its high chart success in the Irish Charts. It has more of a rock music feel than his previous solo albums ...

'' (1995) ;With Anúna * ''Invocation'' (1996) ;With Clannad * ''

Lore Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in La ...

'' (1996) ;With Andy Irvine * ''

Rain on the Roof ''Rain on the Roof'' is a television drama by Dennis Potter, broadcast by ITV on 26 October 1980. It is the second in a loosely connected trilogy of plays exploring language and betrayal, produced for London Weekend Television by the independe ...

'' (1996) * ''

Way Out Yonder ''Way Out Yonder'' is the twelfth album released by the Sons of the San Joaquin The Sons of the San Joaquin is an American Western family band. Jack and Joe Hannah are brothers, while third member Lon Hannah is Joe's son. They began performing ...

'' (2000) ;With Metal Gear Solid * '' Metal Gear Solid Original Game Soundtrack'' (1998) ;With Máirín Fahy * ''Máirín'' (1998) ;With Andrew White * ''Guitarra Celtica'' (1999) ;With Michael Londra * ''Christopher'' (2001) * ''Celt'' (2006) ;With Zoë Conway * ''Zoë Conway'' (2002) ;With the Celtic Orchestra *''Celtic Reflections'' (2002) ;With Brian Kennedy * ''On Song'' (2003) ;With Bryan Adams * ''

Room Service Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end ...

'' (2004) ;With Róisin Dempsey * ''Spirit Of An Irish Christmas'' (2005) ;With Tommy Fleming * ''A Life Like Mine'' (2006) * ''The Best Is Yet to Come'' (2009) * ''Song for a Winter's Night'' (2009) ;With Colin Farrell * ''Make a Note'' (2015) ;With Patrick Mangan * ''The Frost is All Over'' (2020) ;With other artists / Compilations * ''Irish Memories'' (1988) * ''Heart of the Gaels'' (1992) * ''Lament'' (1993) * ''Celtic Heartbeat Collection'' (1995) * ''Realta '96'' (1996) * ''Celtic Twilight, Vol.4: Celtic Planet'' (1997) * ''Dance of the Celts'' (1997) * ''Celtic Treasure, Vol.2'' (1998) * ''The Celtic Experience'' (2000) * ''Celtic Solstice'' (2002) * ''Celtica ony #1' (2002) * ''Dark Age of Camelot: A Musical Journey'' (2002) * ''Island Blues'' (2002) * ''Tranquility Gold'' (2002) * ''Ireland: Essential Guide'' (2009) ;Film scores * '' The Irish RM'' (1983-1985) * '' Eat the Peach'' (1986) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Some Mother's Son'' (1996)

References

External links

* * * Declan Masterson (Allmusic)
Declan Masterson - Discography/Credits (Allmusic)

* ttp://www.telusplanet.net/public/prescotj/db3/UKMtoM/Mfma225_.htm Declan Masterson page at telusplanet website {{DEFAULTSORT:Masterson, Declan Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Musicians from Dublin (city) Irish folk musicians Irish uilleann pipers Irish bouzouki players Concertina players Irish keyboardists Irish composers Year of birth missing (living people) Moving Hearts members Patrick Street members People educated at O'Connell School People from Cabra, Dublin