Feadail, traditional Irish mouth whistling

Trad Irish Music
1

I am from Chicago and am trying to find recordings of feadail, otherwise known as traditional Irish mouth whistling…meaning whistling with the lips and mouth alone, no instrument. In North America the terms “whistle,” “whistler,” “whistling” when done by a human refer to using the mouths and lips alone, so to avoid confusion between whistling and tin whistling I am posting my request here in the general Irish Traditional Music Forum. I have checked thru all 33 pages of posts here and have found nothing, at least in the titles of the posts, regarding feadail or mouth whistling.

I have made several unsuccessful inquiries of several Irish sources, but I thought I would ask here in this forum.

Panfluieras

2

Although I’m not familiar with ‘feadail’, I do know that my dad and his brothers were definately into mouth whistling and vaguely that their father and uncles were too. I’m sure they were merely imitating what they heard from their elders and I’m sure they didn’t realize there was an Irish name for it. Unfortunately they were long gone before I developed an interest in Itrad and my memories are faint. I too would like to see some information on this subject.

3

Here is a list of some winniers from the fleadhs. Maybe you might be able to contact some of them?

Whistling (Feadaíl)

1966, Tom McHalew, County Roscommon
1975, Paddy Berry, County Wexford
1976, Seamus O’Donnell, County Sligo
1977, Paddy Berry, County Wexford
1996, Michael Ryan, County Tipperary
1990, John O’Connell, County Antrim
1999, Sean White, County Waterford
2000, Frances Donahue, County Galway
2001, Séan Seosamh Mac Domhnaill, County Mayo
2002, Séan Seosamh Mac Domhnaill, County Mayo
2003, Aníde Uí Bhennéis, County Limerick
2004, Aníde Uí Bhennéis, County Limerick
2005, Aníde Uí Bhennéis, County Limerick
2006, Aníde Uí Bhennéis, County Limerick

4

Paddy Berry has a couple of recordings out. He has a website you could google. He is best known as a singer and I doubt whether he whistled on his CD’s. He might be a good starting point for further info. as there is a strong whistling tradition in Wexford.

5

Thank you flanum and alurker. I just e-mailed Paddy and then saw that he is a 2 time winner at the Fleadh. Good starting point, thanks.

Pamfluieras

6

no worries! any other requests??

7

Several tunes were whistled on last Tuesday’s Lán a’ Mhála. The show will be replaced by next Tuesday so check it out soon if you’re interested.

http://www.rte.ie/rnag/lanamhala.html

At about the 30 minute mark on wards.

8

Thank you for posting that link. I would have never found it by myself.

9

As opposed to whistling with what other parts of one’s anatomy? :really:

djm

10

I came across this doorstop of a book (600 pages or so) this morning and tack it onto this old thread for want of a better place.

It’s a comhaltas publication, so expect long tables of fleadh participants and All Ireland winners but there’s history and transcriptions of tunes as whistled as well. When buying online, expect serious P&P charges, it’s a brick of a thing. The author has a website that sells it here. I saw it in a bookshop locally and the usual suspects will probably stock it as well. If you are into that sort of thing, ofcourse.

11

Sorry to see by the cover that the tradition stopped in 2021…

Best wishes.

Steve

12

Perhaps that’s when it reached, as the blurb puts it,
‘its present manifestation as a competitive artform’ :stuck_out_tongue:

13

For what it’s worth, urban construction workers in the US have long considered whistling a competitive art form — one they tend to share with passing women… :really: