Cathal McConnell

Cathal McConnell is a founder-member of the band Boys of the Lough, and one of the best flute and whistle players in the Irish tradition. A greatly respected singer, his naturally relaxed and friendly stage presence allied to an air of bespectacled confusion endears him to audiences everywhere.

Born in 1944 in County Fermanagh, an area rich in musicians, Cathal can trace the flute back through four generations in his family. By the time he was eleven years old he was playing the whistle, encouraged by his father and local teacher Peter Flannagan. At fifteen he took up the flute and in 1962, aged eighteen, became the all-Ireland champion on both instruments. Five years later, in 1967, he was touring with the newly formed Boys of the Lough.

Cathal holds in high regard the musicians of his own county – such as John Joe McGuire, Eddie Duffy and Mick Hoy – and their influence can be detected in his playing. A recent television documentary highlighted these
connections.

His extensive repertoire of songs embraces long ballads and serious pieces as well as some of the more humorous items, often preceded by introductions of mirthful complexity. A real enthusiast, and possessing great kindness and humanity, Cathal always has the time of day to explain and demonstrate the music to others.

With several solo CD titles to his credit, he completed recording his most recent one, Long Expectant Comes at Last, in New York in 1998.

www.boysofthelough.com