I’ve been listening to this CD quite a bit recently and it really is excellent. MOB has a very nice style of playing. His piping sounds very relaxed and natural and his regulator accompaniment is quite subtle. He doesn’t vary the tunes or add too much ornamentation but still he manages to bring out something special in each tune. I particularly like his version of Bumper Squire Jones.
The Willie Rowsome D set sounds good but the Froment B set is just amazing and, IMHO, steals the show.
I’d have to agree PJ, that’s one of my favorite cuts on the CD. I also like the the tune that follows in that set, An Sean Duine, although I really like MIkie Smyth’s version of that one on The Wild Keys. Mick’s CD certainly gets a lot of play.
This is strange as I’ve just got my hands on a this in the last few days, have’nt got round to listening till it yet.
A great cd from a great player. I can also recommend the cd called “Humours of Holland” from the Dutch Uilleann Pipers Club.(NVUP)
The cd is the history of 20 years Tionels from 1985-2005. Many great pipers is playing on the cd, among them are also Mick O`Brien. From the 1992 Tionel his is playing in a rocking splendid style.His version of Sporting Nell/Toss the feathers/Cooley´s is fantastic.
About 5 years ago Brian was the teacher at a piperworkshop in Copenhagen at the Skt.Patricks Day.
He mentioned the rolles I made on the g note. He explained that I have to snap with the fingers i., explaining how small children developed their motor co-ordination.This in parallel to piping. When making a roll, bending the fingers a little and let them snap on the holes like a spring.
Ole
What you might be describing is something that many Irish whistle players, fluters, pipers, and fiddlers do but isn’t often pointed out or verbalised. That is, when doing a “pat”, the finger(s) to be patted are lifted higher a moment before the pat. This gives the fingers the distance needed to achieve a greater velocity.
In band/orchestra instruments the fingers, when not down on their keys, are supposed to stay in their “guide positions”. People coming to Irish music from these “legit” instruments do their pats by simply moving the patting finger(s) from the guide position, onto the instrument, and back. The resulting pats are far too slow.
I attended a workshop Mick gave a few years ago and it was fantastic. The biggest insight I brought from it was his system of closed pats and his knack of lifting the chanter for a split-second so that the pats sound as a bottom D.
I believe Pat D’Arcy has called that the “spank”. 
I hear Mick O’Brien’s a very good teacher.