Michael McGoldrick (born 26 November 1971, in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England) is a folk musician who plays Irish flute,

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 ...

low whistle The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Mak ...

and bodhran. He also plays other instruments such as

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, cittern, and

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

Bands

McGoldrick has been a member of several influential bands. In 1994 he was awarded the BBC Young Tradition Award, and in 2001 he was given the ''Instrumentalist of the Year'' award at the

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

. McGoldrick was a founder-member of the

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundation of the ...

band Toss the Feathers while still at school. He also competed at that time in the Fleadhanna with Dezi Donnelly (

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

), whom he had met at local Comhaltas meetings. He made appearances at various local and national festivals and ran whistle/flute workshops at the

Cambridge Folk Festival The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival, established in 1965, held in the grounds of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is known for its eclectic mix ...

and for

Folkworks Folkworks is a non-profit organisation based at The Glasshouse (formerly The Sage Gateshead) and a part of the North Music Trust. It runs many workshops, summer schools and festivals to promote and encourage the furtherance of folk music. It w ...

on their "Flutopia" concert tour. McGoldrick formed the band ''Fluke!'' (later renamed as '' Flook'') with

Brian Finnegan Brian Finnegan (born 20 August 1969) is an Irish flute and tin whistle player from Armagh. Finnegan began playing whistle at age 8 and flute at age 10 as a student of the Armagh Pipers Club under the tuition of the Vallely family. He first cam ...

and Sarah Allen in November 1995. After one tour, he left to pursue other projects. He was an early member of

Lúnasa Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Traditionally, it is held on 1 August, or about hal ...

from 1997 until roughly 2000 and played on their first albums. He also joined ''

Capercaillie ''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Feathers from the bird were used to create the characteristic hat of the bersaglieri, an Italian ace infantry formation. ...

'' in 1998, playing on six albums (one live) to date. McGoldrick has played regularly for Afro-Celt Sound System and

Kate Rusby Kate Anna Rusby (born 4 December 1973) is an English folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, and is one of the be ...

's band. he leads the Michael McGoldrick Band. Between 1996 and the present, McGoldrick recorded five solo albums, all featuring an array of well-known supporting musicians: ''Morning Rory'' (1996) showcases his traditional skills. ''Fused'', released in August 2000, explores several other musical genres including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

; although ''Wired'', released in January 2006, takes the experimental approach of ''Fused'' even further, it was preceded by a duo album ''At First Light'' (2001), with award-winning uilleann piper John McSherry (also ex-Lúnasa) which goes back to traditional roots. ''Aurora'', released in 2010, features traditional as well as self-penned tunes, and a song (Waterbound) by a Louisiana master of old-time music, Dirk Powell. McGoldrick's latest solo release is ''Arc'' (2018). Between 2007 and 2013, McGoldrick played with the house band for the Transatlantic Sessions (Sessions 3-6) including performing some of his own compositions/arrangements. In 2010 Michael replaced John McCusker, joining Tim O'Brien on

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 ...

's US leg of the Get Lucky Tour. This being a success, he was invited (and accepted) to stay on for the remainder of the World Tour in Europe when John McCusker had returned. He went on to play on the next Mark Knopfler album, Privateering and played with the band for the subsequent World Tour. McGoldrick also recorded for the 'Ceol Tacsi' project with many other British and Irish artists.

Discography

Solo/duo/trio

Solo

Duo/Trio

As band member of

As guest artist/other

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGoldrick, Michael 1971 births Living people Celtic fusion musicians Musicians from Manchester British flautists Irish flautists Capercaillie (band) members Flook (band) members Lúnasa (band) members Usher's Island (band) members Vertical Records artists