Best Celtic mandolin players?

[nkforster]

I'm writing a couple of articles for my blog. Could you help?

Who are your top 5 mandolin players/recording artists from the last 40 years of the "Celtic" persuasion?

Nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/instruments/mandolin/

[foldedpath]

Mandolin only, or Mandola, OM, and Zouk?

You're also going to get a mix of instrumental-only, accompaniment-only, and those who do both, which I think somewhat muddies the waters when the words "Best" and "Top 5" are used. Maybe "Well Known" would be a better approach?

Anyway, I'll post something more later after thinking about it, but for a starter I'd name Simon Mayor and Ale Möller as personal influences (if the longer scale instruments are in the mix).

[Tim Griffin]

I'm writing a couple of articles for my blog. Could you help?

Who are your top 5 mandolin players/recording artists from the last 40 years of the "Celtic" persuasion?

Nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/instruments/mandolin/

Marla Fibish and David Surrette are quite good.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Derek Wardell - original Wolfe Tones
Andy Irvine
Marla Fibish
Tim Connell
Johnny O'Connor

[Nigel Gatherer]

• Dave Swarbrick has always been one of my favourites and a big influence in the early days. It's his exuberance and joy of playing which comes across most, in my opinion.
• Gary Peterson of the Shetland band Hom Bru is an excellent player, and again there is a joy of the music which is evident in his sound.
• Marla Fibish is someone I haven't heard a great deal of, but I aim to hear more. Her playing is wonderful.
• Mick Moloney is a trailblazer and his album "Strings Attached" was a knockout.
• The last place goes to Iain McLeod, who plays beautifully.

================================================
Other players who nearly made it:
Dan Beimborn
J P Cormier
Anna Massie
Jim Sutherland
Allan Barty
Brian Connolly
Nigel Forster
Brendan O’Reagan
Dagger Gordon
Kevin MacLeod
Luke Plumb

[Dagger Gordon]

All of the people mentioned so far are obviously worth hearing.

For me though, the thing which I liked was really how well the mandolin(s) were used in a band,
So from that point of view, De Danann's early album Selected Jigs, Reels and Songs with Charlie Piggott, Johnny Moynihan and Alec Finn on mandolins, bouzoukis and tenor banjo was a sound which I still think is hard to beat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttHd...bhcP7A&index=8

Similarly, the Irvine/Lunny combination on that first Planxty album still gets me every time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8aWldqewc

[kmmando]

Spot on Dagger, and I'd add the early Battlefield band albums which had a lot of mainly Sobell instrumental tracks on similar strings. Brian McNeill led the way there, and Ged Foley was in there, and he's a fine mandolinist indeed.

And Dave Richardson of The Boys of the Lough was right at the forefront of playing mandolin in a Scottish/Irish context, long before many others.

Incomparable musicians all who created excellent original sounding traditional music.

[Dagger Gordon]

And Dave Richardson of The Boys of the Lough was right at the forefront of playing mandolin in a Scottish/Irish context, long before many others.

I quite agree. His playing and indeed his choice of instruments played a big part in my own music.
Latter day BOTL albums don't feature him so much, but his playing in the early line-up with Robin Morton was really good. Listen to the album Wish You Were Here, recorded on a Scottish Highlands and Islands tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICt9eEfB2-4

[kmmando]

Matheu Watson is pretty amazing on mandolin, and a whole host of other instruments - one of the very best of his generation, a phenomenal musician and great fellow too.

[Francis J]

I could not agree more with Dagger and previous posters that Andy Irvine holds a special place on the list. Paul Brady is also a fine Mandolin player. Declan Corey deserves a mention, as does Brian mcDonagh of Dervish.

[des]

Don't forget Barney McKenna & John Sheehan

[Dagger Gordon]

Don't forget Barney McKenna & John Sheehan

From the Dubliners of course.

It's maybe worth remembering that in the early seventies the mandolin was generally quite a prominent instrument in folky bands, and was used in the Dubliners, Fairport, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, Horslips, Hedgehog Pie, Lindisfarne, the MacCalmans and plenty others.

Indeed, when I started playing it I actually thought it was a much more established 'Celtic' instrument than it turned out to be!

[montana]

I'm still knocked out by that Mick Maloney album. What triplets!

[sgrexa]

Tim O'Brien deserves a mention. I love Brian Connolly from Craobh Rua though he mostly plays tenor banjo but is equally proficient on mandolin.

Sean

[kmmando]

I acquired my 1922 Gibson F4 from Jimmy MacGregor a few years back now, who formed a very renowned Scottish song based duo with the late Robin Hall. They toured globally with Scottish songs through the 1960s onwards, with mandolin to the fore, another example of the mandolin in use, yet rather forgotten.

[des]

This might be turning into first Celtic mandolin players - Jimmy MacGregor - closely followed by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron ?

[John Flynn]

I never say who is "best." That is a meaningless term in the creative arts and those kinds of answers only start arguments. My favorites are (in no order):
Mick Moloney
Kevin MacLeod
Kevin McElroy
Aidan Crossey
Dagger Gordon
David Surette
Dan Biemborn
Michael Kerry

[nkforster]

This might be turning into first Celtic mandolin players - Jimmy MacGregor - closely followed by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron ?

Ah, these fellers are new to me....tell me more!

Nigel
www.nkforsterguitars.com

[Dagger Gordon]

Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor - Scottish folk duo in the 60's.

Robin Williamson and Mike Heron - The Incredible String Band! (actually I don't recall Mike playing mandolin much. Robin certainly - and everything else besides.)

No mention of the Corries - Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne - yet. I think they both played the mandolin, and Roy built very interesting stringed instruments called combolins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwDk...isDcvA&index=3

[Mike Crocker]

Simon Mayor
Brian Taheny

[Gelsenbury]

I haven't read Robin Bullock's name yet. He is primarily a guitarist, but a great mandolin player too.

I also really like Simon Mayor, David Surette, Kevin Macleod and the guy from Craobh Rua, who have been mentioned already.

[mandocrucian]

Andy Irvine
Mick Moloney
Dave Swarbrick
Martin Jenkins (Dando Shaft, Hedgehog Pie, Whippersnapper)

mandolas, bouzoukis, OMs etc.
Donal Lunny
Johnny Moynihan
Terry Woods
Manus Lunny

[Paul Brett]

A lot of the above... and Endsa Scahill

[dmcginnis]

Let's add our frequent contributor Roger Landes to the list.

[hokelore]

Some Battlefield Band alums need mentioned:
Jamie McMenemy
Ged Foley
And although I think of him more as a fiddler and cittern player, Brian McNeill