Liam O'Flynn, Óg Flynn (, 15 September 1945 – 14 March 2018) was an Irish uilleann piper and Irish traditional musician. In addition to a solo career and as a member of

Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, gu ...

, O'Flynn recorded with:

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...

, Dónal Lunny, Andy Irvine,

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British musician. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995, and he is the one of the two members who stayed during the band's existence ...

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Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...

, Mary Black,

Enya Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (born 17 May 1961; anglicised as Enya Patricia Brennan) known mononymously as Enya, is an Irish singer and composer. With an estimated equivalent of over 80 million albums sold worldwide, Enya is the best-selli ...

and

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

. O'Flynn was acknowledged as Ireland's foremost exponent of the

uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ), also known as Union pipes and sometimes called Irish pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the ...

and brought the music of the instrument to a worldwide audience. In 2007, O'Flynn was named Musician of the Year at the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards, considered to be the foremost recognition given to traditional Irish musicians.

Early life

He was born 15 September 1945 in

Kill, County Kildare Kill () is a village and parish in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland near the county's border with Dublin beside the N7 road (Ireland), N7. Its population was recorded as 3,818 people in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. Kill ...

, Ireland, to musical parents. His father, Liam, was a teacher and fiddle player. His mother, Maisie (née Scanlan), who came from a family of musicians from Clare, played and taught piano. From an early age, O'Flynn showed musical talent, and was encouraged to pursue his interest in the

by the piper Tom Armstrong. At the age of 11, he began taking classes with Leo Rowsome. He was also influenced by Willie Clancy and Séamus Ennis. In the 1960s, he began to receive recognition of his talent, winning prizes at the Oireachtas Festival and the

Fleadh Cheoil The Fleadh Cheoil (), or "music festival" in English, is an annual Ireland, Irish arts festival and competition run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Irish pronunciation: Help:IPA/Irish, [ˈkoːl̪ˠt̪ˠəsˠ ˈcoːl̪ˠt̪ˠoːɾʲiː ˈeːɾ ...

. During his early years, he was sometimes billed as Liam Óg Ó Flynn.

Music career

In 1972, O'Flynn co-founded the Irish traditional music group

, alongside

, Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny and remained a member throughout the band's various incarnations. While Seán Ó Riada and

The Chieftains The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...

had reinvigorated Irish traditional instrumental music in an ensemble format during the 1960s, Planxty built on that foundation and took it one step further. They brought a punch and vitality to acoustic music that drew heavily on O'Flynn's piping virtuosity. As O'Flynn grew in his skill as a musician and as he began to meet pipers like Willie Clancy and Séamus Ennis, he became acutely aware of his position in the tradition of piping. His subsequent close friendship with Ennis, which started as a master/pupil relationship, taught him that there was much more to being a piper than playing tunes. Liam noted: "Seamus Ennis gave me much more than a bag of notes." Following the break-up of Planxty in 1983, O'Flynn found work as a session musician with such prominent artists as

Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and viola, violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and has since expanded into jazz music, jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and ...

, Rita Connolly, and

. He also worked on film scores, including ''Kidnapped'' (1979) and '' A River Runs Through It'' (1992). He was adventurous enough to work with avant-garde composer

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

, but his most natural alliance was with neo-romantic composer

Shaun Davey Shaun Davey (born 18 January 1948) is an Irish composer. Early years Shaun Davey was born in Belfast in 1948 and attended Rockport School in County Down. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in the history of Art in 1971. He then took a ...

. The Bothy Band were natural successors to the original Planxty, and one of its members, Matt Molloy, who subsequently joined

, played with

' fiddler Seán Keane on O'Flynn's album, ''The Piper's Call'', which was performed in the 1999 Proms season at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

. He also worked on projects with

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish Irish poetry, poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is ''Death of a Naturalist'' (1966), his first m ...

, mixing poetry with music. His name is mentioned in Christy Moore's song "Lisdoonvarna".

Death

O'Flynn died in Dublin on 14 March 2018 after a long illness.

Legacy

The Liam O'Flynn Award is awarded each year by the

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

and the

National Concert Hall The National Concert Hall (NCH) (An Ceoláras Náisiúnta) is a national cultural institution, sometimes described as "the home of music in Ireland". It comprises the actual concert hall operation, which in various chambers hosts over 1,000 ...

to recognise individual creativity in Traditional Irish music. Awardees include Úna Monaghan, Barry Kerr, Jack Talty, Louise Mulcahy and Strange Boy (aka Jordan Kelly).

Discography

;Solo albums * ''Liam O'Flynn'' (1988) * ''The Fine Art of Piping'' (1991) * '' Out to an Other Side'' (1993) * ''

The Given Note ''The Given Note'' is the fourth solo album by master Uilleann pipes, uilleann piper and prominent Folk music of Ireland, Irish traditional musician Liam O'Flynn. Produced by Shaun Davey and recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, the album ...

'' (1995) * '' The Piper's Call'' (1999) ;With Christy Moore * '' Prosperous'' (1972) * '' Ordinary Man'' (1985) ;With Planxty * ''

'' (1973) * '' The Well Below the Valley'' (1973) * '' Cold Blow and the Rainy Night'' (1974) * ''The Planxty Collection'' (1974, compilation) * '' After The Break'' (1979) * ''

The Woman I Loved So Well ''The Woman I Loved So Well'' is the fifth studio album by Planxty. Like their previous album, '' After The Break'', the album was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios and released by Tara Records. Co-produced by band member Dónal Lunny and eng ...

'' (1980) * '' Words and Music'' (1983) * '' Planxty/Live 2004'' CD/DVD (2004) * '' Between the Jigs and the Reels: A Retrospective'' CD/DVD (2016) ;With Andy Irvine * ''Fifth Irish Folk Festival Compilation'' (1978) * '' Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams'' (1980) * '' Way Out Yonder (Andy Irvine album)'' (2000) * '' Changing Trains'' (2007) * '' Abocurragh'' (2010) * '' Andy Irvine/70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012'' (2014) ;With Shaun Davey * '' The Brendan Voyage'' (1980) * '' The Pilgrim'' (1983) * '' Granuaile'' (1985) * ''The Relief of Derry Symphony'' (1990) * ''May We Never Have to Say Goodbye'' (2006) * ''Voices from the Merry Cemetery'' (2010) ;With Kate Bush * ''

The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by hi ...

'' (1982) * '' Hounds of Love'' (1985) ;With Mark Knopfler * ''

Cal Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...

'' (film soundtrack) (1984) * '' Golden Heart'' (1995) ;With Enya * ''

'' (1987) * '' The Celts'' (1987) * ''

Shepherd Moons ''Shepherd Moons'' is the third studio album by Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya, released on 4 November 1991 by WEA. After the unexpected critical and commercial success of her previous album ''Watermark'' (1988), Enya embarked on a ...

'' (1991) ;With Seamus Heaney * '' The Poet & The Piper'' (2003) ;With other artists * ''The Rambles of Kitty'' compilation by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (1967) * '' Celtic Folkweave'' by Mick Hanly and

Mícheál Ó Domhnaill Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (; 7 October 1951 – 7 July 2006) was an Irish singer, guitarist, composer, and producer who was a major influence on Irish traditional music in the second half of the twentieth century. He is remembered for his innovat ...

(1974) * ''Kidnapped'' by

Vladimir Cosma Vladimir Cosma (born 13 April 1940) is a Romanian composer, conductor and violinist, who has made his career in France and the United States. He was born into a family of Jewish musicians. His father, Teodor Cosma, was a pianist and conductor, h ...

(1978) * '' Born Yesterday'' by

(1985) * ''The Emigrant Suite'' by Charlie Lennon (1985) * ''Notes from my Mind'' by Séamus Connolly (1988) * ''Best of Irish Folk Festival'' (1988, compilation) * ''Best of Irish Folk Festival Vol 2'' (1989, compilation) * ''Jig in Style'' by Seán Keane (1990) * '' Brand New Dance'' by

(1990) * '' The Field'' (film soundtrack), by

Elmer Bernstein Elmer Bernstein ( '; April 4, 1922August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. In a career that spanned over five decades, he composed "some of the most recognizable and memorable themes in Hollywood history", including over 150 orig ...

(1990) * "My Special Child" by

(1991) * ''Bringing it all Back Home'' (1991, compilation) * ''Out of Court'' by Maire Casey & Chris Newman (1991) * ''No Dowry'' by Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill (1991) * ''A River Runs Through It'' (film soundtrack) by

Mark Isham Mark Ware Isham (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician and composer. A trumpeter and keyboardist, Isham works in a variety of genres, including jazz and electronic music, electronic. He is also a prolific and acclaimed composer of Film ...

(1992) * '' Rita Connolly'' by Rita Connolly (1992) * ''The Seville Suite'' by Bill Whelan (1992) * ''Fire Aflame'' by Matt Molloy, Seán Keane, and Liam O'Flynn (1992) * ''Mercury Years'' by The Everly Brothers (1993, compilation) * ''Poiema" by Michael Card (1994) * ''Idir Dhá Chomhairle (In Two Minds)'' by Aine Ui Cheallaigh (1995) * '' Voyager'' by

(1996) * ''Sult Compilation'' (1996) * ''We Wont go Home Till Morning'' by Brendan Begley (1997) * '' Kashmir: Symphonic Led Zeppelin'' by the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...

(1997) * ''Finisterres'' by Dan Ar Braz (1997) * ''With Friends Like These'' by James Keane (1998) * ''Os Amores Libres'' by Carlos Núñez (1999) * ''Bilbao Oo:Oh'' by Kepa Junkera (1999) * ''Speaking With Angels'' by Mary Black (2000) * ''Volume 3: Further in Time'' by Afro Celt Sound System (2001) * ''Journey: The Best of Dónal Lunny'' by Dónal Lunny (2001) * '' The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone'' by Cherish the Ladies (2001) * ''To Shorten the Winter'' by Tommy Sands (2001) * '' The Blue Idol'' by Altan (2002) * '' An Dealg Óir'' by Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin (2002)

References

External links

* Liam O'Flynn (Allmusic)
Tools of the Trade (Tara Music)

Liam O'Flynn (Thistle Radio)

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oflynn, Liam 1945 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Irish uilleann pipers 21st-century Irish uilleann pipers Claddagh Records artists Irish male uilleann pipers Irish tin whistle players Musicians from County Kildare People from Kill, County Kildare Planxty members 1960s in Irish music 1970s in Irish music 1980s in Irish music 1990s in Irish music 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music