David Flynn - Traditional Music Career

Traditional Music Career

During his time in London, Flynn became strongly involved with the London Irish traditional music scene, performing regularly in concerts and sessions with some of the leading Irish musicians in London. Flynn remained in London until the beginning of 2006 when he returned to live in Ireland.

Flynn continues to build a parallel career as concert music composer and multi-genre performer. His debut recording ‘Draíocht’, a mix of traditional Irish music and new compositions and songs based on the tradition, was released late in 2006. Most of the songs on the album were co-written with the poet/lyricist Pádraic Ó'Beírn. Also featured on the album are some of his regular musical partners including fiddler Liz Coleman, percussionist Aidan Dunphy, bassist Brian O'Toole and guitarist Ciarán Swift. The album was co-produced by Flynn with engineers Manus Lunny and Paul Thomas. Writing in Irish Music Magazine, critic John O'Regan says, "Draíocht is one of the most surprising debuts to hit my ears in ages.....An interesting and intriguing collection from a tunesmith, instrumentalist and composer, Dave Flynn is a name to conjure with and Draíocht is very definitely worth an open-minded listen."

Flynn's second album 'Contemporary Traditional Irish Guitar' was released in 2009 on Frisbee Records. The album contains completely solo guitar versions of music by some of the best traditional Irish music composers of the 20th Century, most particularly Paddy Fahey, 20 Fahey compositions feature on the album. There is also music by Ed Reavy, Liz Carroll. Charlie Lennon, Larry Redican and Tommy Peoples. One of Flynn's own compositions 'The Mahatma of the Glen', a tribute to the late fiddle player James Byrne, also features. This is a reworking of three of the sections of his earlier piece 'Music for the Departed'. The album has received considerable critical acclaim.