Folk Bands and Artists
Paddy Tutty, Caoimhín & Seán Ó Fearghail
Caoimhín Ó Fearghail (Kevin O´Farrell) was born in 1989 and comes from An Rinn in the Waterford Gaeltacht. He started to learn the tin-whistle at the age of eight, taking lessons from Bobby Gardiner. He quickly progressed to the uilleann pipes, under the tutelage of David Power. He is self-taught on flute and guitar inspired by such diverse flute players as Matt Molloy, Mike Rafferty and Tom Doorley. Some of his strongest piping influences include the old greats such as Séamus Ennis, Willie Clancy, Leo Rowsome, Tommy Reck and Patsy Touhey. He cannot deny the big influence that Liam O’Flynn, Mick O’Brien and Waterford pipers Tommy Kearney, Jimmy O’Brien-Moran, Tommy Keane and Donnchadh Gough have had on him, and is very much influenced by the many other great musicians and singers of his home area in Co. Waterford.
In 2006, as part of his school transition year project, he released an album entitled ‘Giorraíonn Beirt Bóthar’, with a group of friends, local musicians and singers. It featured guest appearances from well-known local artists including Liam Clancy, Áine Uí Cheallaigh, Donnchadh Gough and Ciarán Ó Gealbháin.
Since then, he has featured on a number of albums, as accompanist quite often, including on Caitlín Nic Gabhann’s album ‘Caitlín’, and Edel Fox and Neill Byrne’s ‘The Sunny Banks’. In 2013, he also recorded an album ‘Lá ag Ól Uisce’ with his brother Seán and Tomás Ó Gealbháin, and is featured playing pipes solo on ‘The Rolling Wave’, a compilation album issued by NPU.
Caoimhín was the 2012 recipient of the TG4 Young Musician of the Year award (Gradam Ceoil TG4).
In September 2013, he featured on a Music Network tour with Noel Hill and Liam O’Connor called ‘Bellows, Bridge & Bow’. In 2014, he joined the group Caladh Nua as guitar player with additional flute and has toured extensively with them, and has performed on various instruments with other well-known groups as well, such as Danú, Piper’s Union, and Skipper’s Alley. He recently recorded an album of flute and fiddle music with fiddler Paddy Tutty from nearby Dungarvan.
A frequent teacher and performer, he has taught pipes and performed at many piping Tionóil agus other piping events in Ireland such as Scoil Samhraidh Willie Clancy, the William Kennedy Piping Festival in Armagh, and also at the Northeast Tionól in the US. He has also toured abroad playing with groups such as Caladh Nua and Danú all over the US, the UK, Europe, Newfoundland and New Zealand.
Caoimhín is a graduate of UCC with an MA in Irish and has a keen interest in the songs of the Déise and their airs.
Paddy Tutty was born in 1981 and comes from Dungarvan, in west Waterford. Paddy’s musical start in life was a little later than most to say the least, as he didnt actually start playing until he was seventeen. Coming from a musical family, Paddy remembers his granfather, the late Tommy Norris playing the fiddle when he was growing up, along with constant Irish music being played on the radio at home. This was certainly a massive inspiration to him from an early age, however Paddy was never pushed into the music and thankfully this seemed to make him work even harder when he finally did start.
Paddy remembers being inspired by a Danú concert that he attended in his hometown, Dungarvan, Co Waterford. He started playing the bodhrán soon after in sessions in Dungarvan and very quickly progressed on to the fiddle.
Paddy is self-taught on bodhrán, fiddle, banjo and more recently has learned and taken-up the upright double bass.
Paddy is a founding member of the group Caladh Nua. With four aclaimed albums to-date, the group formed back in 2009 with their debut album ´Happy Days´. This was followed-up by ´Next Stop´ (2011), ´Honest to Goodness´ (2014) and ´Free and Easy´ in 2016. More recently Paddy recorded a Flute & Fiddle duet with Caoimhín Ó Fearghail titled ‘Flute & Fiddle’ (2018).
As well as having a musical family backround, Paddy was also very fortunate that there was a high standard of carpentry skills going back through the generations of his family. For his Leaving Cert woodwork project he made his own first fiddle which would ultimately steer him in a direction that was both difficult but very rewarding. He has made many more since then and has come a long way in the trade to a point where he now has his own fiddle making business.
Paddytuttyinstruments.com
Between Caladh Nua and with various other groups, Paddy has played in the UK, the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, France Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, China, India, and New Zealand.
