Pat Cassidy Enjoys New Life As Traditional Musician With First CD

Former Downpatrick businessman Pat Cassidy, an avid fan of traditional Irish music, has something to whistle about.

[caption id="attachment_56766" align="alignleft" width="390"] Pat Cassidy has launched a CD called The Whistle Sound which is available in the St Patrick Centre in Downpatrick.[/caption]

He has recently released his first music CD called ‘The Whistle Sound‘ and it is a clear demonstration of his tin whistling talent. Pat certainly has an ear for this style of music and he explained to Down News that he and his two brothers and two sisters all started formal piano lessons when they were five years old. He said: “This gave me a solid grounding and confidence and helped me read music It was something to build on all those years later. I also learned the clarinet and French horn too when I was young.

“It was four years ago when I first really got involved in playing the tin whistle and I worked hard at it. Before long I found that it all came together and I could play everything from slow airs, polkas, reels, and even modern and folk tunes.

“It was at the Dublin Trad Festival that I really was hooked on whistle playing. I then went to the fiftieth anniversary of the Dubliners in Dublin Cathedral… it was awesome, and I was just dumbstruck.  It was an incredible venue for this music and I got chatting later on to Dubliners Barney McKenna and John Sheehan. It was a turning point for me. They were just inspirational.

[caption id="attachment_56767" align="alignright" width="270"] NA BO HA LEE: Aidan Milliagan on the bodhran and Pat Cassidy on whistle are heading to the Portsoy International Music festival in Scotland to play.[/caption]

“In 2013 I met Irish traditional star Sharon Shannon and Shonie Madden, an expert on flute and whistle, in Bloom’s Hotel after a concert, and they too were just brilliant. They really fired me up and eventually I became so proficient after a lot of really hard work that I played for famous names such as Brian Warfield of the Wolf Tones, Luka Bloom, the Freil Sisters, Gabriel Donaghue of the Chieftains. I just grew from strength to strength in my music. After thirty years away from the hard discipline of music I had to start from scratch basically, but it all came back to me over time.

“I decided to make a CD to showcase my new talents and enlisted the help of local percussionist Aidan Milligan who has a wealth of experience in bodhran etc.  The CD is called The Whistle Sound by himself and Aidan on percussion. Our group is called ‘NA BO HA LEE’ which means ‘For The Boys’. It covers a range of traditional, modern from Abba to the Beatles and folk tunes and is selling well. It can be purchased in the St Patrick Centre.”

Patrick explained that the demise of the Folk Club in Downpatrick left a gaping hole in local culture when it sadly closed and said that this part of the music scene needs to be revived. “Traditional music is very popular over Ireland and we need to play our part in bringing it back to Downpatrick. There is a fairly  strong traditional scene in Castlewellan and the Newcastle Comhaltas makes a great contribution here. But I play around the county from Warrenpoint to Belfast and have travelled to Killarney for a session.

“I have a special affection for West Donegal and Glencolmcille. There is something magic about this place and I feel so at one with myself there. I love playing in Ardara at the Cup of Tae Festival.

“I’ve also had a lot of support from local musicians Ciaran Duffy, Steve Fowley, and especially Sean Donnelly from Downpatrick who has a great reputation across the country as a singer and songwriter.”

“There is never a dull moment in the music world and this weekend Aidan and I and heading off to Portsoy in the North East of Scotland to their International Folk Festival. There will be a number of top players performing there and we are very privileged to be invited to take part.”

Looking to the future, Pat said they are interested in playing in festivals around the country and are happy to perform at pre-wedding sessions, funerals, private and corporate events and parties.

To contact, check out their Facebook page at The Whistle Sound

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