O'Riordan Whistles

[Kay Diers]

Has anyone heard anything good about O'Riordan whistles? They are custom
made by Pat O'Riordan in Ft. Wayne, IN, (He's an English-born Irishman.
Eeeks). I know that Joannie Madden plays them.

[John A. Hickman]

Some years ago I played in an Irish band with a damn fine whistle player who got himself
a Riordan whistle set. It put out a beautiful sound, much mellower than the
traditional tin whistle. The one he had had interchangeable barrels, so it could be
played in either the Key of D or C. At that time it seemed that the price for the pair
was about $100.00, so I never did get around to buying one, but I'm still thinking. If
he has a web site I'd be interested.

Keep the Faith

Jack Hickman
--
John A. Hickman
Personally Guided Tours of Historic Kingston
Tel.: 613 546-7597 - Fax 613 546-3468
E-mail: jhic...@fox.nstn.ca
http://www.novatech.on.ca/guided_tours

[Charles R. Fowler]

In article <332351...@mindspring.com>,
Kay Diers <kmd...@mindspring.com> wrote:

>Has anyone heard anything good about O'Riordan whistles? They are custom
>made by Pat O'Riordan in Ft. Wayne, IN, (He's an English-born Irishman.
>Eeeks). I know that Joannie Madden plays them.

I play on a O'Riordan whistle. His whistle sounds great! The tone from the
whistle is sweet and round.

Charles

[Joshua Cain Curtin]

Where con one order these whistles?

JCC

[Dennis J. Gormley]

Kay Diers wrote:
>
> Has anyone heard anything good about O'Riordan whistles? They are custom
> made by Pat O'Riordan in Ft. Wayne, IN, (He's an English-born Irishman.
> Eeeks). I know that Joannie Madden plays them.

About a decade or so ago, my wife made a pilgramage from our home in NJ
to the House of Musical Traditions in Tacoma Park, MD to try out and
purchase a new harp. While she was plunking away at a couple of
different ones, one of the people there showed me a set of Riordan
whistles. The set consisted of one mouthpiece, with an Eb, D and C
body.
At the time, they were $125, but, compared with the price of the harp,
that was negligable.

Though I don't see them listed on the listing of whistles at their web
site

http://www.hmtrad.com/hmtrad/instr/winds/flageo.html

I'd be surprised if they didn't carry them. Also see the other usual
suspects (Andy's Front Hall, Lark in the Morn, Hobgoblin, Elderly, etc.)

P.S. My wife purchased the whistles for me. Thank you, Kathy!

Dennis Gormley ####
Ashland, NJ (-O-O-)
GOR...@HSLC.ORG ( ======)===@=====@===
McDermott's Handy Home Page: ####### // //
http://www.hslc.org/~gormley/ -------// //
"In this house, DADGAD _IS_ regular tuning!" ___________ //
------------/

[Lance22]

I have a set of Pat's whistles. They have a beautiful mellow sound for
slow airs but tend to be a little slow responding for fast work. My
favorite whistles are my Copelands for speed and volume and my Abells for
shear beauty of sound.
Lan...@aol.com
J.L. Huffer

[Lawrence E Mallette]

Lance22 (lan...@aol.com) wrote:
: I have a set of Pat's whistles. They have a beautiful mellow sound for

This is all in the realm of personal opinion, but I agree with J.L.
The Abell and Thin Weasel whistles have the nicest sound of the
more expensive whistles. But, I'd put my Thin Weasels up against
any other whistle for responsiveness ("speed"). These are
the whistles Joanie Madden used to play, until some of them
cracked when exposed suddenly to sub-zero temperatures after a
gig in Albany. The wood is _thin_.

The O'Riordan's are finely crafted and durable, being of aluminum,
but I find that their tone seem to grate on my nerves for some reason.
I'm sure it's just a "personal problem", but be sure to listen to
a whistle being played before plunking down the "big bucks" - you
do want to _like the tone_ you'll be making.

Larry
mall...@bcm.tmc.edu

[Sean O'Malley]

In article <332468...@hslc.org>,

Dennis J. Gormley <gor...@hslc.org> wrote:
>Kay Diers wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone heard anything good about O'Riordan whistles? They are custom
>> made by Pat O'Riordan in Ft. Wayne, IN, (He's an English-born Irishman.
>> Eeeks). I know that Joannie Madden plays them.

------------/

I spoke with Pat O'Riordan several months ago, and he said he is so
backlogged with orders that the wait is longer than a year. His personal
recommendation was to go to one of the festivals he attends, since he
schedules a number of whistles to sell at these on a first-come basis
(the festivals require it for him to participate). I'm posting from
work--if I remember to, I'll telnet in from home and post his address
and phone #.

Re-Joanie Madden. Pat said that demand for his whistles exploded when
her new CD came out with his name in the liner notes.

One last note--my direct experience with his work was in Houston when
I played an O'Riordan mouthpiece on a Generation body. Wow!

--sean
--
trn: append .signature to .article: insufficient humor

[Wendy Morrison]

In article <5g4sut$3...@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu>, mall...@bcm.tmc.edu (Lawrence
E Mallette) wrote:

> Lance22 (lan...@aol.com) wrote:
> : I have a set of Pat's whistles. They have a beautiful mellow sound for

> : slow airs but tend to be a little slow responding for fast work.[...]

>
> This is all in the realm of personal opinion, but I agree with J.L.
> The Abell and Thin Weasel whistles have the nicest sound of the
> more expensive whistles. But, I'd put my Thin Weasels up against
> any other whistle for responsiveness ("speed"). These are
> the whistles Joanie Madden used to play, until some of them
> cracked when exposed suddenly to sub-zero temperatures after a
> gig in Albany. The wood is _thin_.
>
> The O'Riordan's are finely crafted and durable, being of aluminum,
> but I find that their tone seem to grate on my nerves for some reason.

[...]

I used mainly O'Riordan whistles (wood, not aluminum) to record my album
with the Celtic Consort (see http://www.hmtrad.com/hmtrad/wendy/wmrec.html
) and I agree with what Lance22 wrote. When I want fast rigs & jeels an
O'Riordan just doesn't do it for me. I use my Copeland (louder), or a Thin
Weasel (sweeter). BTW, Thin Weasel is now making them in PVC and they sound
very good, but there are some minor intonation problems that I am working
on with him. He promises these will be fixed soon.

--
Wendy Morrison, HMT Webmistress & Catalog Manager
House of Musical Traditions, Inc. Takoma Park, MD
HMT homepage at http://www.hmtrad.com/hmtrad
"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture"

[Allan Meltzer]

Wendy Morrison (hmt...@hmtrad.com) writes:
>
> [...]
>
> I used mainly O'Riordan whistles (wood, not aluminum) to record my album
> with the Celtic Consort (see http://www.hmtrad.com/hmtrad/wendy/wmrec.html
> ) and I agree with what Lance22 wrote. When I want fast rigs & jeels an
> O'Riordan just doesn't do it for me. I use my Copeland (louder), or a Thin
> Weasel (sweeter). BTW, Thin Weasel is now making them in PVC and they sound
> very good, but there are some minor intonation problems that I am working
> on with him. He promises these will be fixed soon.
>
> --
> Wendy Morrison, HMT Webmistress & Catalog Manager
> House of Musical Traditions, Inc. Takoma Park, MD
> HMT homepage at http://www.hmtrad.com/hmtrad
> "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture"

I had a set of brass line wooden covered whistles made by O'Riordan (C<D
and Eflat bodies). The brass took care of the volume, they had plenty.
The tone was a bit harsh but all in all they were fine musical instrument.
What I did not like was the shape of the fipple. I did not feel right.
--
Allan Meltzer
661 King Edward AVE. Voice Mail 613-565-3635
Ottawa, Ontario Alt E-mail Allan_...@pch.gc.ca
Canada K1N 7N8

[JFFIII]

I found the letters concerning Pat O'Riordan's whistles quite interesting
since I purchased a whistle in blackwood last year with the
interchangeable D and C bodies and have found it a delight. I agree with
those who find the O'Riordan whistles less responsive for playing jigs and
reels but wonderful for slow airs and favorite "jam session" tunes such as
"Amazing Grace" et al. I will be the first to admit that if they are
suitable for fast playing, I am not a good judge since I have been playing
only 2 years and have just enough talent to be obnoxious.
The Copeland whistles are a true delight, and, if you can save up for one,
a sterling silver whistle has even a smoother tone. They are pricey,
however.
One thing that most of us would probably agree with, however, is that a
wide variety of whistles, both cheap and expensive, is infinitely more
satisfying since they all seem to have their own unique "flavor."
Hope all is going well with everyone. John Freeman

[BREWERPAUL]

One thing that most of us would probably agree with, however, is that a
wide variety of whistles, both cheap and expensive, is infinitely more
satisfying since they all seem to have their own unique "flavor."
Hope all is going well with everyone. John Freeman

Agreed!!!! I have a Copeland and a Thin Weasel, both of which I dearly
love, but sometimes, a cheapo Clarke is just the ticket! I recently made
a D out of 1/2 " copper pipe following directions posted here. Although
it isn't the best I've ever played, the satisfaction I got out of playing
my first jig on it hasn't been matched by ANY other whistle! Paul, Troy
NY

[Steve Steele]

In article <19970323203...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, jff...@aol.com
(JFFIII) wrote:

> I found the letters concerning Pat O'Riordan's whistles quite interesting
> since I purchased a whistle in blackwood last year with the
> interchangeable D and C bodies and have found it a delight. I agree with
> those who find the O'Riordan whistles less responsive for playing jigs and
> reels but wonderful for slow airs and favorite "jam session" tunes such as
> "Amazing Grace" et al. I will be the first to admit that if they are
> suitable for fast playing, I am not a good judge since I have been playing
> only 2 years and have just enough talent to be obnoxious.
> The Copeland whistles are a true delight, and, if you can save up for one,
> a sterling silver whistle has even a smoother tone. They are pricey,
> however.

> One thing that most of us would probably agree with, however, is that a
> wide variety of whistles, both cheap and expensive, is infinitely more
> satisfying since they all seem to have their own unique "flavor."
> Hope all is going well with everyone. John Freeman

Anyone like Shaw whistles?

SKS

[JFFIII]

Steve Steele wants to know if anyone likes Shaw whistles.
In a word, Yes! I have more Shaws than any because they are among the
more affordable whistles that I would consider excellent quality and I
love their reedy sound. The only "low D" I have is a Shaw. The conical
bore allows the finger holes to be placed closer together which makes it
easier to play for someone like me who has short, stubby fingers. I also
have an "A" whistle which has a beautiful tone. It is great for songs in
the key of "D."
Happy Easter to all. John Freeman

[Christin Keck]

I concur--I've been looking for Shaw Low D's all over here, and have had
no luck. Time to go to the mail order catalogs.
--ck

[Lawrence E Mallette]

Christin Keck (she...@concentric.net) wrote:
: I concur--I've been looking for Shaw Low D's all over here, and have had

: no luck. Time to go to the mail order catalogs.

Boulder Early Music had a Shaw Low D at their "booth" at the Texas Toot
last February, so I guess the probably stock them. This particular low
D was not, however, in decent tune with itself. The price was right,
however, compared to Copeland, which many consider the top of the line.

Boulder-Early-Music-Shop
2010 Fourteenth Street
Boulder, CO 80302
303-449-9231

Usual Disclaimers
Larry
mall...@bcm.tmc.edu