Liam O'Flynn
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Liam O'Flynn (Irish: Ó Floinn, b. 1945) is a well known Irish folk musician. He was born in County Kildare to musical parents, his father played the fiddle and his mother played the piano. After his first encounter with the uillean pipes, the greatest influences of his development were Leo Rowsome, Willie Clancy, and Séamus Ennis. Liam won recognition by winning prizes at the Oireachtas Festival and the Fleadh Ceoil in the 1960s. He is sometimes billed as Liam Óg O'Flynn (i.e., Liam O'Flynn, Jr.)
He became a founder member of Planxty in both of its incarnations. The Chieftains were the first to record Irish traditional instrumental music in a group format, but Planxty took it one step further. They brought a punch and vitality to acoustic music that owed more to rock 'n' roll than classical music. O'Flynn brought an emotional excitement to uillean pipes, which had previously been associated with the strict discipline of highland bagpipers. After Planxty he easily found work as a session musician. He has worked with the Everly Brothers, Enya, Kate Bush, Nigel Kennedy and Mark Knopfler. He has also worked on film scores, including "A River Runs Through It" and "Kidnapped". He was adventurous enough to work with avant-garde composer John Cage, but his most natural alliance was with neo-romantic composer Shaun Davey.
The Bothy Band were natural successors to the original Planxty, and two of their members, Sean Keane and Matt Molloy, recorded on one of O'Flynn's albums, The Piper's Call, which was performed in the 1999 Proms season at the Albert Hall. He has also worked on projects with Seamus Heaney, mixing poetry with music.
Discography
Solo
- Liam O'Flynn (1988)
- The Fine Art Of Piping (1991)
- The Given Note (1995)
- The Piper's Call (1999)
With Planxty
- Planxty (1973)
- The Well Below the Valley (1973)
- Cold Blow and the Rainy Night (1974)
- After the Break (1979)
- The Woman I Loved So Well (1980)
- Words and Music (1983)
- Planxty (2004)
With Shaun Davey
- The Brendan Voyage (1980)
- The Pilgrim (1983)
- Granuaile (1985)
- The Relief Of Derry Symphony (1990)
- Out To Another Side (1993)
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