Éamonn de Barra - Individual Whistle Tunes

Éamonn de Barra is a renowned Dublin-born traditional Irish musician, virtuoso flute and whistle player, and a founding member of the acclaimed band Slide. Named Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 1999/2000, he has toured internationally and performed with artists like Damien Dempsey.

Brought up in an intensely musical environment, Eamonn De Barra’s talents were evident from a very early age, as were those of his siblings. The Young Traditional Musician Of the Year 1999, he already has a formidable reputation as a live performer, although he is barely out of short pants.

Listen to Éamonn

Having toured Ireland many times and performed with such traditional icons as Paul McNevin(fiddle) and Mick Kinsella(Harmonica), Eamonn is also a regular visitor to both mainland Europe and the U.S. and has just returned from touring Japan with his supertradstar group, ‘DeBarra’. No stranger to television appearances, Eamonn is a favourite of Pat Kenny on the Late Late Show, and scarcely a night goes by where it is not possible to spot him on TG4 (terrestrial Irish t.v. station).

He has also performed with jazz group ‘Kanda’ and is currently working on a follow up album to the phenomenally successful CD ‘The Flying Pig’ which he recorded with master musicians Daire Bracken(fiddle), Mick Broderick(bazouki) and Aogan Lynch(concertina), collectively known as ‘Slide’. Away from his gruelling musical schedule, Eamonn can often be seen sleeping at parties, playing his nose, fretting about his hairline or purchasing Barney the Dinosaur merchandise (allegedly for the children of friends)

Musical Career and Style

Instruments: Primarily plays flute, tin whistle, and low whistle, but also plays piano and vocals.
Slide: A key member of the band Slide, which won the Young Musicwide Award in 2005.
Collaborations: Toured and recorded with the Damien Dempsey Band, and performed with traditional musicians such as Paul McNevin and Mick Kinsella.
International Presence: Has toured in Europe, North America, Australia, and Japan.
Other Projects: Involved in the Crannua Collective and contributed to the four-part documentary series Compass Ceoil.
Internet: Visit Éamonns Website

Compass Ceoil, produced by Éamonn de Barra for RTÉ Lyric FM

Compass Ceoil is a four-part documentary series on the history of Irish music. The program is hosted by Moya Brennan of Clannad. She is joined by a star-studded lineup of guests including Paddy Moloney (Chieftains), John Sheahan (Dubliners), Donal Lunny (Planxty/Bothy Band), Nicholas Carolan (ITMA), and Colin Dunne (Riverdance). Produced by Éamonn de Barra at Digital Audio Productions for RTÉ Lyric FM - Lyric FM Producer Eoin Brady - made with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland's Sound and Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme. RTÉ Libraries and Archives provided archive material.

The Crannua Collective

'The Crannua Collective' is the eponymous record from the Irish-American supergroup featuring the talents of Moya Brennan and Ashley Davis amongst others.

Compass Ceoil Episode 1

Director of the Irish Traditional Music Archive, Nicholas Carolan, explains how traditional music in Ireland dates back to the middle Stone-Age and talks about the crucial work done by collectors such as Bunting, O'Neill and Breathnach in preserving the music. Cormac de Barra talks about the history of some of the instruments central to traditional music including our national emblem, the Irish harp.

Compass Ceoil Episode 2

In programme two Fintan Vallely talks about the Folk Revival in the 1960s and how its roots can be traced back to the 19th century. Moya Brennan talks to some of the major figures in the tradition, including Paddy Moloney (Chieftains), John Sheahan (Dubliners) and Donal Lunny (Planxty) and explores how the Catholic Church lobbied the first Fianna Fáil Government to create the Dance Hall Act of 1935 which changed the way Céilí music was to be performed forever.

Compass Ceoil Episode 3

We'll hear about some of the great composers of tunes in the tradition, including how Carolan was heavily influenced by baroque music and why we often hear the same melodies being used for a number of different songs. Professor Micheál Ó Súilleabháin explains how Tommy Potts changed the ground-plan of the tradition and paved the way for a new wave of interpreters.

Compass Ceoil Episode 4

Moya concludes the series with a present day view of Irish traditional music. She explores how the growing global appetite for traditional music has grown over the past 30 years with Barry Stapleton of the Milwaukee Irish Fest. Commercialism in the tradition is discussed by Professor David Cooper of Leeds University and Colin Dunne explains how everything changed after Riverdance in 1994.