I just ran across this video in the morning today on youtube; Ronan is playing what looks like a Patrick O’Riordan Low D whistle on this tribute to Peadar O’Donnell/Takarasaka tune. His closeup starts at 1:38 where you can see and hear the whistle. Too bad Jerry’s Weissenborn is so hot, but you can still hear the low whistle fairly well. I understand (not having played one though) that they weren’t considered powerful whistles from what I’ve read about them with the narrower bore though it still had a good presence in the mix. Richard, you might appreciate that! Enjoy!
Anyway, thought some folks might like to hear it again. Lots of good people here!
At the time he was playing a bunch of whistles he had bought in India. This could be one of them?
could it be a Howard? Big plastic head and black body looks a lot like one I had a long time ago.
Although it’s hard to tell, It looks to be too narrow to be a Howard, which are about as big around as you can get and larger diameter than most all Low D’s. Same color body and plastic head though. Maybe one of the few to have an O’Riordan might be able to tell better if it is or not? Doesn’t really matter, just curious, and the music is more important, really.
Interesting about his Indian whistles, Peter.
If you want it from the horse’s mouth, go to his website and ask him. But he says on the site:
Lastly, as well as the common “tin whistle”, the wooden whistles I play come from India yet they are perfect for playing Irish music.
Haunting and evocative, they make the perfect foil for the pipes.
That’s helpful, and a good idea, thanks Peter! Edit; OK, I have contacted Ronan, and hopefully we will have an answer on it if he’s not too busy.
OK, I heard back from Ronan, and he said that he thinks it might have been a Brian Howard whistle, but he’s not sure. It was a while back now. So that goes to show you what you think you see is not always the case, since it looked a lot slimmer to me than a Howard in the video! So maybe they had the Youtube slimming filter on it when they posted it? ; ) ha!
I asked Ronan to keep me in mind if he comes across it again just to know for sure. I also asked him what it was like making this video, and he said they were “full on”, starting with makeup at 8am, and learning 4-5 new songs each day. So it seems to me, not as much fun as it looks or I thought it might have been! But they all got it done, and you see the product they put out in the end, so that shows what level of musicians each of them are! And what a nice guy is Ronan Browne! Thanks again Peter for the suggestion to contact him.
Enjoy the music and remember!
It looks very much like a Howard to me. I have one. Another distinguishing feature, aside from the large plastic head, is that they are black on the outside of the tube, but plain brass in the bore. You can see this when you look through the tone holes. There is a moment in the video where you can momentarily see light reflective off the brass through one of the tone holes.
Good eye, paddler! I also came across Ronan’s picture on the transatlantic sessions webpage, here: The Artists - Transatlantic Sessions
And you can key in control/F (not alphabetical) and then put in Ronan, and it will show you his face shot with what seems a Howard fipple in his mouth; the contours look right too. Anyway, an interesting trip for me, especially chatting with Ronan a bit too. Talented musician, and very nice guy!
