Astronaut Cady Coleman has three flutes and a whistle (from the Cheiftain’s Paddy Moloney) with her in the Space Station! here’s a link to the news release on NASA’s website. There’s a link on that page to a video of Cady playing her flute for a PBS interview. Now, we gotta find out WHICH whistle is up there and see if we can get a recording of a whistle in space. Any C&F’ers got a buddy at NASA?
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition26/flute_on_iss.html
Yeah, this came up on the flute forum a while back.
Feadoggie
I have not found a specific reference to the type of whistle Coleman has borrowed from Paddy but did see this posted on the Chieftains web site. Apparently not the first Chieftain’s whistle in space.
There’s no mention of the whistle on the Grammy Museum website either.
Feadoggie
I’m guessing that Ressikan Flute prop sold for thousands of dollars a year or so ago is looking a lot less valuable about now.
That crossed my mind too. But then I thought about the whole Hollywood thing and how as a culture we value the fantasy of space more than the reality of space. Who knows. I still like driving over to the C. F. Martin museum in Nazareth to see this cute little instrument which rode on the shuttle in 1994..
It’s more rare than moon rocks. I’d like to see Paddy’s space whistle. It’d be cool regardless of what type of whistle it is. I wonder if someone played “The Inner Light” on it.
Feadoggie
Maybe we have an answer.
Sweet. And a nice ‘floaty’ feel to it as well.
For those of us who don’t have easy YT access, can someone describe briefly what’s on the vid?
Oh, apologies! It’s the latest episode of…JJIIGGGSSSS IINNNN SPACCCCEEE.
In this episode Cady Coleman wishes earthlings a Happy Paddy’s Day and plays both Molloy’s flute and Maloney’s whistle for viewers while floating around the International Space Station. I’ll try to snatch a pic from the video.
There is apparently no such thing as a “good hair day” in space.
Feadoggie
What’s the whistle? A Gen?
Could be. Maybe Feadog? O’Briain? It’s really hard to tell on my equipment here on earth. It’s surely a green top on a brass tube. Paddy has been known to play the Gen green top whistle. But you know, the sticker is up too high on the tube for a Gen - could that be a Freeman Tweaked sticker? Anybody have a better idea of what it may be? Anyone following the tweets?
Feadoggie
Looks like a feodog to me.
I agree. I have an older Feadog (Mk I or II, I can’t remember which) and the sticker is higher on the tube than the latest model.
That’s my guess also.
Not so sure I agree with the Feadog suggestion, it looks too big. Based on size and sound, that looks more like a Walton’s /Soodlum’s D whistle to me. I also wondered if I saw a Jerry Freeman tweaked sticker when she first took it out.
I’ve put my brother on the case. So far he’s sent me a link to this story:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition26/flute_on_iss.html
No mention of the whistle make but I believe he’s still working on that.