Ancient Irish Musical Instruments - Traditional Fiddle, Flute and Whistle

References to fiddles being played for dancing are [un]clear. An account from the end of the seventh century tells us that the citizens of Cork in the south of Ireland, even when they could afford nothing else, brought their children up to dance, fence and play the fiddle. The fiddle is very suited to the playing of dance music and the fingering is flexible enough to permit all forms of ornamentation. By the eighteenth century its use had become universal. Today it is the one instrument which is almost always included in a band or group playing for Irish dancers. The fiddle is also the instrument most commonly used to play for Irish dance competitions.
      Perhaps the greatest player of Irish dance music on the fiddle is Sean McGuire from Belfast. His music has been very popular with dancers and teachers for almost forty years.

The Flute
It is not possible to give an exact date when the flute became popular with traditional musicians in Ireland, but it is reckoned to be in the eighteenth century. You can find the instrument in many of the eighteenth-century collections of country dances, in which it was usually described as the German flute. However, it is more likely that it originated from France.
      There were several different types of flutes, the older ones being single-keyed with the more modern style being a fully-keyed instrument. The older type was said to be more suitable for playing traditional music. Today the flute is one of the most important instruments in any session of Irish dance music and is a must in the line- up of any Irish traditional group.

The Whistle
There is mention of the whistle being played by Aileann, chief of the Tuatha De Danann in the period approximately 1600 Be. Feadanaigh or players of the feadan, are mentioned in ancient laws which applied to musicans who played at fairs, sports tournaments and other public meetings.
      Excavations which took place in 1968 in High Street, one of the oldest parts of Dublin, unearthed several musical instruments belonging to the twelfth century. One of them was an intact whistle made of bone with two finger holes, which can be seen in the National Museum in Dublin.
      Today, two types of whistles are in use by traditional musicians: one, the Clarke 'C' whistle which is made of tin and tapered with an underlip of wood set into the head; the second (and more modern) type consists of a metal column with a plastic mouthpiece.
      The tin whistle is usually the first instrument to be played by newcomers to Irish music. After they get the feeling of the whistle they sometimes move on to another instrument.
      My memories of great whistle players go back to Dublin in the late sixties when the traditional music and dance community was quite small and everybody knew each other. At this time I had the pleasure to know Mary Bergin, who is one of the finest whistle players a person could hope to listen to. Mary came from Blackrock, County Dublin, and today lives in the West of Ireland - as good a player today as ever she was. Another very good whistle player at that time was Helena Rowsome, daughter of Leo Rowsome, the king of the pipers, who at that time lived in Clontarf on the north side of Dublin.

From The Complete Guide to Irish Dance by Frank Whelan, published by Appletree Press.