# Feadail, traditional Irish mouth whistling **URL:** \ **Category:** Trad Irish Music\ **Created:** [April 28, 2007, 12:06pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865 "2007-04-28T12:06:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panfluieras](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@panfluieras](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/panfluieras)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 12:06pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/1 "2007-04-28T12:06:26Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Duffy](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/duffy/32/268_2.png) [@Duffy](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Duffy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/2 "2007-04-29T03:56:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![flanum](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/flanum/32/1008_2.png) [@flanum](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/flanum)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/3 "2007-04-30T17:20:38Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![alurker](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/alurker/32/1137_2.png) [@alurker](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/alurker)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2007, 10:55am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/4 "2007-05-01T10:55:03Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![panfluieras](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@panfluieras](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/panfluieras)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2007, 3:30pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/5 "2007-05-01T15:30:32Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![flanum](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/flanum/32/1008_2.png) [@flanum](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/flanum)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 12:00am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/6 "2007-05-06T00:00:42Z")
no worries! any other requests?? ---
**Author:** ![Eldarion](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/919ad9/32.png) [@Eldarion](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Eldarion)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2007, 6:48am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/7 "2007-05-20T06:48:24Z")
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](http://www.rte.ie/rnag/lanamhala.html) At about the 30 minute mark on wards. ---
**Author:** ![Duffy](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/duffy/32/268_2.png) [@Duffy](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Duffy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/8 "2007-05-21T01:30:06Z")
Thank you for posting that link. I would have never found it by myself. ---
**Author:** ![djm](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/djm/32/420_2.png) [@djm](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/djm)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 4:40am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/9 "2007-05-21T04:40:44Z")
> [@panfluieras](#): > > traditional Irish mouth whistling As opposed to whistling with what other parts of one’s anatomy? ![:really:](https://s3.pfaffmanager.com/sites/chiffandfipple/original/2X/2/2f6ae4a953e902a0e41edd15880cc1b82dd303ba.gif "really.") djm ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Gumby](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/mr.gumby/32/5273_2.png) [@Mr.Gumby](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Mr.Gumby)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 1:04pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/10 "2024-11-19T13:04:39Z")
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. ![](https://comhaltas.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/unnamed-11-scaled.jpg) 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](http://www.robertharveymusic.com/product/feadail-book-and-cd/). 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. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Bliven](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/steve_bliven/32/624_2.png) [@Steve\_Bliven](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Steve_Bliven)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 2:39pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/11 "2024-11-19T14:39:18Z")
Sorry to see by the cover that the tradition stopped in 2021… Best wishes. Steve ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Gumby](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/mr.gumby/32/5273_2.png) [@Mr.Gumby](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Mr.Gumby)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 3:45pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/12 "2024-11-19T15:45:43Z")
Perhaps that’s when it reached, as the blurb puts it, _‘its present manifestation as a competitive artform’_ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Bliven](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/steve_bliven/32/624_2.png) [@Steve\_Bliven](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Steve_Bliven)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/feadail-traditional-irish-mouth-whistling/46865/13 "2024-11-19T21:00:33Z")
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:](https://s3.pfaffmanager.com/sites/chiffandfipple/original/2X/2/2f6ae4a953e902a0e41edd15880cc1b82dd303ba.gif "really.")