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The Top Of Coom

By Conal Ó’Gráda


  1. Colonel Frazer
  2. The Peacock’s Feather
    Strop The Razor
  3. Anderson’s
    The Green Gates
  4. The Castlebar Races
    The North Clare
    The Butcher’s
  5. The Duke Of Leinster
    The Woman Of The House
  6. The Carnival Of Venice
  7. The Gold Ring
  8. Richard Dwyer’s
    Cathal McConnell’s
  9. O’Connell’s Trip To Parliament
    Gregg’s Pipes
  10. The Sweet Flowers Of Milltown
  11. Lucky In Love
    Spindle Shanks
  12. The Cuckoo’s Nest
    The Fairy Queen
  13. The Tinker’s Daughter
    Miss McGuinness
  14. Ride A Mile
    Haste To The Wedding
  15. The Blackberry Blossom
    The Coalminer’s
  16. Captain Kelly
    The Galway Rambler
    The London Lasses

Twelve comments

Top of Coom

This is a very exciting album that everyone interested in Irish flute should own. It has the flute party pieces like 7-part gold ring & Col. Frazer, Conal’s playing is also something mighty that should be heard. He fills the flute till you can hear it literally ring. With all the “scoiltrad”-ers on this list I was suprised this album hasn’t already been posted. One of my top-ten flute albums, get it!

Top Of Coom

Top ten, Brad ? It’s in my top 3 - just look at that list of tunes, it’s like a flute player’s bible !

Top Of Coom

ps - I think Conal’s contribution on Colm Murphy’s “An Bodhran” CD, where he plays “Lord Gordon’s / Kiss The Maid Behind The Barrell” is just about as good as traditional Irish flute playing will ever get.
It’s high time he made another recording - anyone have any influence with Gael Linn ?

absolutely superb…

As someone over Australia-side, this album changed my whole concept of what flute playing COULD be… The rythmic power is incredible, and yet it avoids the “automatic-rotary-speaker” vibe of so many of the northern rythmic crew, and he plays with such unremitting intensity that it makes your ear’s glow red with breathless excitment. or something.

Anyway, I won’t hear a thing against it, and he MUST record again!!

Unfortunately………………..

Disappointing news, SirNose. At Hammy’s Flute meeting in Ballyvourney in April, I managed to speak briefly to Conal, and asked him about a 2nd follow-up recording. No plans at all at the moment, unfortunately.

The Top of Coom

Since I started flute playing (about 16months ago) the northern style always seemed to speak to me. Players like Harry Bradley and the old style players like Tom Morrison with that “heavy breath” sound is what I was playing on through the CD player. Having now heard Conal O Gráda, I can safely say that I will be listening to this one for a while. He has a similar style to that of Harry Bradley (I think it was actually referred to as The Belfast or Fermanagh style of flute playing). Definitely recommended if your a flute player.