Paul O'Shaughnessy (born 9 June 1961) is an Irish fiddler, former member of

Irish folk music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a Music genre, genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Irela ...

bands

Altan Altan may refer to: * Altan (name) * Altan (company), a software company. * Altan (band), a folk music group from Donegal * ''Altan'' (album), a 1987 album by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy * Altan Jalab, a village in Afghanistan * A ...

and Beginish. Also a whistle and flute player and an occasional composer, Paul has been playing fiddle since his childhood, and has long been recognised as a leading traditional musician in the city of Dublin.

Background and career

Paul O'Shaughnessy comes from Artane on the north side of Dublin city. He spent much of his youth in Donegal where he developed a love and talent for fiddle playing, learning at first not only from his mother, Pearl McBride (a fiddle player from a musical Donegal family) but also from the playing of

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

fiddle player Antóin Mac Gabhann and from John Doherty. He was also influenced by

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

flute player John Egan. He was one of a number of outstanding contemporary players who were members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branches in the area, his playing partner whistle player Denis O'Brien among them. In later years, he spent time in Donegal, learning from source-players such as Con Cassidy and the Campbell family. Paul has been appearing on Irish radio and television since the late 1970s, but became more widely known in the 1990s as a member of the Donegal-based group

(1988–92) (after he had met and played with founding members

Frankie Kennedy Frankie Kennedy (30 September 1955 – 19 September 1994) was a flute and tin whistle player born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was also the co-founder of the band Altan, formed with his wife Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. The popular '' Frankie ...

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Ní Mhaonaigh is recognised as a leading exponent in ...

) and as a member of the Dublin-based group Beginish (late 1990s–early 2000s), two Irish folk music bands with whom he toured throughout the world. Paul O'Shaughnessy is to be heard on their recordings and on a wide variety of others, including his solo album ''Stay Another While'' (POSCD 0001), and his duet albums with two flute players: ''Within a Mile of Dublin'' (SPINCD1000) with Paul McGrattan and ''Born for Sport'' with Harry Bradley (BFS001). He has also completed a doctorate in Irish-language dialect studies. For the first time in 12 years, Beginish (including Paul O'Shaughnessy) regrouped together for some concerts throughout 2013.

Discography

With Altan

*1989 '' Horse with a Heart'' *1990 '' The Red Crow'' *1992 ''

Harvest Storm ''Harvest Storm'' is the third studio album by Altan, released in April 1992 on the Green Linnet label. Track listing All titles arranged by Altan. # "Pretty Peg/New Ships A-Sailing/The Bird's Nest/The Man From Bundoran" (reels) – 3:37 # " ...

With Beginish

*1998 ''Beginish'' *2001 ''Stormy Weather''

Solo albums

*2000 ''Stay Another While'' (Claddagh Records – POS0001; 14 tracks featuring Frankie Lane on guitar, mandolin, dobro & bass) *2016 ''The Friendly Visit – An Céilí'' (Claddagh Records – POS0002; 14 tracks featuring Garry O'Briain, Eoin O'Neill and fiddlers Pearl and Kate O'Shaughnessy (respectively Paul O'Shaughnessy's mother and daughter))

Duet albums

;Paul O'Shaughnessy & Harry Bradley *2005 ''Born for Sport'' (Own label – BFS001; duet album with flute player Harry Bradley; also featuring John Blake (bouzouki)) ;Paul O'Shaughnessy & Paul McGrattan *2013 ''Within a Mile of Dublin'' (Faetain Records – SPINCD1000; duet album with flute player Paul McGrattan; also featuring Seánie McPhail (guitar), Noel O'Grady (bouzouki), Colm Murphy (bodhrán))

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:OShaughnessy, Paul 1961 births Living people Irish male fiddlers Altan (band) members Claddagh Records artists People from Artane, Dublin Musicians from County Dublin 20th-century Irish male musicians 20th-century Irish fiddlers 21st-century Irish male musicians 21st-century Irish fiddlers