Liam Kelly
Encyclopedia
Liam Kelly is an Irish
musician
. He is a native of Sligo
and a founding member of the band Dervish
.
Born into a musical family, Liam began playing traditional Irish music at a very young age. He started on the accordion
but later switched to the whistle
and in turn the flute
, which he learned mainly from local player Carmel Gunning
. He is a veteran of many musical competitions, at one of which he met Shane Mitchell. Their friendship lead to Poitin
, a traditional group they formed while still at school. The group enjoyed a level of success and media attention, including several TV and radio appearances.
Liam played flute (feadóg mhór) on Aoife Ní Fhearraigh's inaugural release on cassette, entitled Loinneog Cheoil.
His role in Dervish is a central one, as the band's core sound revolves around the tight and intuitive interplay between flute, accordion and fiddle.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He is a native of Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
and a founding member of the band Dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
.
Born into a musical family, Liam began playing traditional Irish music at a very young age. He started on the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
but later switched to the whistle
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
and in turn the flute
Irish flute
The term Irish Flute refers to a conical-bore, simple-system wooden flute of the type favored by classical flautists of the early 19th century, or to a flute of modern manufacture derived from this design...
, which he learned mainly from local player Carmel Gunning
Carmel Gunning
Carmel Gunning is an Irish composer and musician, from Sligo, Ireland. Gunning is one of Ireland's most accomplished tin whistle players who is also known for her singing and flute playing. Gunning's rich stylised form of whistle playing and tradition stems from her homeland of Geevagh in South...
. He is a veteran of many musical competitions, at one of which he met Shane Mitchell. Their friendship lead to Poitin
Poitín
Poitín , anglicised as poteen, is a traditional Irish distilled, highly alcoholic beverage . Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, meaning "pot"...
, a traditional group they formed while still at school. The group enjoyed a level of success and media attention, including several TV and radio appearances.
Liam played flute (feadóg mhór) on Aoife Ní Fhearraigh's inaugural release on cassette, entitled Loinneog Cheoil.
His role in Dervish is a central one, as the band's core sound revolves around the tight and intuitive interplay between flute, accordion and fiddle.
External links
- Video of song "They Can't Stop The Spring"
- Dervish The hard-touring Sligo based conteporary Irish music collective.
- The Irish Traditional Music Tune Index A searchable database of traditional dance tunes which identifies sources for tunes on commercial recordings and in tune books.
- TheSession.org
- The Irish Music Review