Playing music with my son Dónal has been one of the most meaningful parts of my life in music. It is not only about shared repertoire or technique, but about trust, listening, and a deep understanding that grows naturally over time.
Playing Together as Father and Son
When Dónal and I play together, the connection is shaped by years of living with music in the same house. Tunes were not taught in a formal way at first. They were absorbed through listening, repetition, and shared experience. That kind of learning creates a musical relationship that is difficult to describe, but easy to recognise when it happens on stage.
Whether we are both on fiddle, or when Dónal accompanies me on electric piano, the music moves through familiar ground. There is very little discussion needed. Phrasing, timing, and dynamics tend to settle naturally, shaped by long familiarity rather than instruction.
A Critical Response
After one recent performance, Rob Adams wrote in The Herald about the way the music came across in concert. His words captured something important about the shared space between us as players.
He wrote that my touch, tonal variation, phrasing, and melodic energy carried a sense of ease, where the music appears to move deeply while very little seems forced. What meant the most to me was his observation that these qualities had been passed on to Dónal, and that when we play together it can feel like two voices moving with the same instinct.
Reviews are part of a public life in music, but moments like that resonate because they reflect something personal. The idea that tradition is not only preserved, but lived and shared within a family, matters deeply to me.
Different Roles, One Conversation
While we often play fiddle together, Dónal also brings a strong musical voice through piano and keyboard. His approach adds harmony, texture, and space, allowing the tunes to open out in a different way. It shifts the balance from unison playing to something more conversational.
That flexibility keeps the music alive. Irish traditional music has always adapted to context. It responds to who is in the room, what instruments are present, and how the moment feels. Playing with Dónal reflects that same openness.
Music Passed On
I am conscious that passing on music is not about copying. It is about creating an environment where curiosity and respect for the tradition can grow. Dónal has developed his own musical direction, informed by what he heard growing up, but shaped by his own choices and interests.
That independence is important. Tradition only remains healthy when each generation finds its own voice within it.
Watch a Performance
A performance featuring Dónal and me, alongside Niall Hanna, can be watched below.
A Personal Note
Sharing the stage with my son is something I never take for granted. It brings together family life and musical life in a way that feels honest and grounded. Whatever setting we play in, the aim stays the same. To serve the music, to listen closely, and to let the tunes speak for themselves.