Welcome to niallvallely.com

Composer - Musician








Biog

Over the past 30 years Niall Vallely has established himself worldwide as one of Ireland’s most significant musicians and composers. Born in Armagh in 1970 he began learning the concertina at the age of seven, taught by his parents Brian and Eithne Vallely, founders of the Armagh Pipers' Club. Over the years he has developed a unique approach to playing the instrument and his compositions have gained widespread acclaim both within the world of Irish traditional music and further afield. A resident of Cork since 1988, Niall completed a degree in music at UCC in 1992. After college Niall embarked on a performance career, touring throughout the world and recording with the likes of Nomos, Buille, Karan Casey, Paddy Keenan, Tim O’Brien and Jazz legend Cassandra Wilson. Since the early 1990s Niall has been working at composing traditional-style tunes. His tunes have been recorded on more than 80 albums while some of them have become ‘standards’ in sessions throughout the world. In more recent years he has been expanding the scope of his compositions to embrace larger scale forms and instrumentation and involving musicians from the worlds of traditional and classical musics. He has received commissions from RTE LyricFM, BBC, TG4, Cork Opera House, Crash Ensemble, UCC, Kate Ellis, Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council, Boston Pops Orchestra, RTE Concert Orchestra, NI Arts Council, the Fidelio Trio and the Vanbrugh Quartet and has had his works broadcast on radio and television in Ireland, the US and throughout Europe. Niall recently received a PhD in composition from University College Cork. In November 2018 he premiered a major new commission for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council entitled 78 Revolutions. In 2019 he completed two large scale works: the Concerto for Concertina and Orchestra was premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra at Dublin’s National Concert Hall in 2019; and Macha a mix of composed music, environmental sound, and multi-media site-specific performance was premiered at Eamhain Mhacha/Navan Fort. In 2022 Niall was appointed artist in residence at the National Opera House in Wexford as part of Music Network's Resonate scheme.


Tourdates

July 26th Tullins, France Tullins Irish Festival with Buille https://www.helloasso.com/associations/chepyterra/evenements/irish-festival-a-tullins
July 31st Albiez, France Celticimes Festival with Buille https://celticimes.org/programme/
Aug 6th Montreal, Canada La Zone Musique with Karan Casey & Niamh Dunne https://sdcvieuxmontreal.com/evenements/
Aug 7th 8pm Toronto, ON Hugh's Room with Karan Casey & Niamh Dunne https://www.showpass.com/karen-casey/
Aug 8th 7pm Morrisburg, ON StoneCropAcres Winery + Vineyard with Karan Casey & Niamh Dunne https://www.harmonyconcerts.ca/event-details-1/karan-casey
Aug 9th Goderich, ON Goderich Celtic Roots Festival with Karan Casey & Niamh Dunne https://www.celticfestival.ca
Aug 10th Goderich, ON Goderich Celtic Roots Festival with Karan Casey & Niamh Dunne https://www.celticfestival.ca
Aug 11th Goderich, ON Goderich Celtic Roots Festival with Karan Casey & Niamh Dunne https://www.celticfestival.ca
Aug 15th 7.30pm Kilkenny, Ireland Set Theatre - Kilkenny Arts Festival with Liz Knowles & Niwel Tsumbu https://www.kilkennyarts.ie/programme/niall-vallely-liz-knowles-niwel-tsumbu
Aug 16th 6pm Kilkenny, Ireland Watergate Theatre - Kilkenny Arts Festival with 78 Revolutions https://www.kilkennyarts.ie/programme/niall-vallely
Oct 4th Seattle, WA, USA Meany Center for the Performing Arts with Ko Tonga Cheol: Weaving Music in the New Ireland https://meanycenter.org/tickets/2024-10/production/ko-tonga-cheol-weaving-music-new-ireland

List of Works

COMPOSITIONS

The Singing Stream. 2002. 10’00. [For 4 x Uilleann Pipes]
Premiere performance at William Kennedy Piping Festival, Market Place Theatre, Armagh, November 2002
CD Releases: ‘Singing Stream 1st movement’, Live Recordings from the William Kennedy Piping Festival (Armagh: Armagh Pipers Club, 2003)
‘Singing Stream Air’, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Gabe McVarish – Eclection (East Lothian: Greentrax, 2010)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Kúla – aLive (Rose Creek Village: Rose Creek Village Arts, 2006)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Natalie Padilla and Blayne Chastain – Fiddle and Flute (Independent, 2011)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Carly Blain and Graeme Armstrong – Live at Blakes (Independent, 2013)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Invernalia – Sol Invictus (Barcelona: Espiral Records, 2013)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Poisoned Dwarf – Bolt the Door (Virginia: Independent, 2008)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Scoops – Rockarolan (Brittany: Coop Breizh, 2016)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Tricolor – Good Morning, Liffey (Tokyo: Tokyoirishcompany, 2013)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Patrick Crossing – Yarns & Reels (Colorado: Patrick Crossing Music, 2012)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Niall and Cillian Vallely – Callan Bridge (Nashville: Compass Records, 2002)
Print Publications: Scahill, Enda, We Banjo 3 Tunebook (Galway: We Banjo 3, 2012)
Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: The Vallely Brothers, ‘Singing Stream Reel’ Piping Live Festival, Glasgow, 2014. Broadcast by BBC Alba 2014. Available online at: https://youtu.be/OjSg6o_Q8uA.
The Vallely Brothers, ‘Singing Stream Reel’, William Kennedy Piping Festival, Armagh, 2005. Broadcast by BBC – Blas Cheoil, December 2005. Available online at: https://youtu.be/mRXe_HFvQ0g
Torcán, ‘Singing Stream Reel’, Cork, January 2012. Available online at: Balcony TV - https://youtu.be/EmAzw2QtDeg
Crosswind, ‘Singing Stream Reel’, May 2015. Available online at: https://youtu.be/8OJzmCVqDLc
Download score

40. 2006. 15’00. [traditional music ensemble]
Premiere performance at Market Place Theatre, Armagh, May 2006

Flight of the Earls TV Score. 2006. [Uilleann Pipes, concertina, low whistle, piano, keyboards]
TV documentary score broadcast on BBC and RTE in 2007 (Nominated for Best Documentary at 2008 IFTA awards)

Flight – Imeacht. 2007. 22’00. [Uilleann Pipes, Concertina, Flute, 2 x Bodhrán/bones, piano and chamber orchestra]
Premiere performance at Belfast Festival at Queens, Grand Opera House, Belfast, Oct 25th 2007 – Niall Vallely, Niall Keegan, Cillian Vallely, Mel Mercier, Brian Morrissey, Caoimhín Vallely and the Carolan Orchestra conducted by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin
Performances at Irish Institute for Europe in Leuven, Belgium, February 2008
Aula Maxima, University College Cork, October 2008
Broadcast on BBC TV Blas Cheoil in 2007
Download score

Rakish. 2008. 12’30. [Multimedia]
Premiere performance at William Kennedy Piping Festival, Market Place Theatre, Armagh, November 2008. Available online at: https://youtu.be/vr_us2wldYA

The Red Tree. 2009. 22’00. [Concertina and String Orchestra/String Quintet]
Commissioned by RTE LyricFM
Premiere Performance at Cork Folk Festival, Aula Maxima, University College Cork, October 2008
Performances at Celtic Connections Festival, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, January 2009
Kaleidoscope at Odessa, Dublin, January 2011
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, November 2012
Aula Maxima, UCC, Cork, September 2013
Broadcast throughout Europe as part of the European Broadcasting Union’s “Folk Music Influences on Classical Music” series – including RTE Lyric FM, December 2012, DR2 (Denmark), January 2013, P2 (Sweden) January 2013, Klassikaraadio (Estonia) February 2013, Antena 2 (Colombia) February 2013, ORF (Germany) June 2013.
Download score

Sondas. 2010. 10’30. [Cello and Tape]
Commissioned by Kate Ellis
Premiere Performance at Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin, December 2010
Subsequent performances: Glucksmann Gallery, Cork, March 2011
John Kelly Ensemble Radio Show, RTE Lyric FM, March 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/_EO2XM8qJII
Dublin Contemporary, September 2011
Kaleidoscope at Odessa, Dublin, March 2012
CD Release: ‘Sondas’, Kate Ellis – Jump (Dublin: Diatribe Records, 2014)
Broadcast on WNYC, New Sounds, July 2016. Available online at http://www.npr.org/podcasts/381443895/new-sounds
Download score

Ó Riada Room. 2011. 11’30. [Concertina and String Quartet]
Commissioned by University College Cork to commemorate anniversary of Seán Ó Riada’s death
Premiere performance with Vanbrugh Quartet at Glucksmann Gallery, University College Cork, January 2011
Subsequent performances: Aula Maxima, UCC, Cork, June 2012
Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, November 2012
Triskel Christchurch, Cork, March 2014
Bandon Arts Festival, September 2015
Live at St Luke’s, Cork, November 2015
Broadcast throughout Europe as part of the European Broadcasting Union’s “Folk Music Influences on Classical Music” series – including RTE Lyric FM, December 2012, DR2 (Denmark), January 2013, P2 (Sweden) January 2013, Klassikaraadio (Estonia) February 2013, Antena 2 (Colombia) February 2013, ORF (Germany) June 2013.
Download score

6 Marimbas Arrangement - Reimaging of Steve Reich's 6 Marimbas. 2011. 10’00. [traditional musicians]
Premiere performance at Cork Opera House as part of Reich Effect Festival, July 2011
Performed on Arts Council sponsored tour of Ireland – Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Sligo, Bray, Ennis, October 2012

Trad. Arr. Niall Vallely. Lúnasa. 2013. 51’40 [Arrangements of music for traditional band Lúnasa and Orchestra]
Premiere performance at National Concert Hall, Dublin, June 2012
Subsequent performances: Meeting House Square, Dublin with the RTE Concert Orchestra, September 2013
Ocean City, MD with the Mid-Atlantic Orchestra, June 2014
Festival Interceltique Lorient in Brittany with the Lorient Festival Orchestra, July 2014
Ocean City, MD with the Mid-Atlantic Orchestra, June 2014
Used as theme music for RTE’s coverage of the 1916 Centenary Commemorations
CD Release: Lúnasa - Lúnasa with the RTE Concert Orchestra (Dublin: Lúnasa Records, 2013)
Broadcast on RTE Radio July 2012, August 2012, February 2015

Nothing Else. 2013. 8’30. [Solo Violin]
Commissioned by Clíodhna Ryan
Premiere performance at National Concert Hall, Dublin, May 2013
Download score

Trad. Arr. Vallely, Niall. An Buachaillín Bán. 2013. 6’40 [Arrangement for Voice and Orchestra]
Commissioned by Iarla Ó Lionáird and RTE Concert Orchestra
Premiere performance at National Concert Hall, Dublin, September 2013

Trad. Arr. Vallely, Niall. Mná na hÉireann. 2013. 5’20 [Arrangement for Voice and Orchestra]
Commissioned by Iarla Ó Lionáird and RTE Concert Orchestra
Premiere performance at National Concert Hall, Dublin, September 2013

Trad. Arr. Vallely, Niall. Reidh Chnoc Mná Duibhe. 2013. 5’30 [Arrangement for Voice and Orchestra]
Commissioned by Iarla Ó Lionáird and RTE Concert Orchestra
Premiere performance at National Concert Hall, Dublin, September 2013

Waves from Another Shore. 2013. 12’30. [Concertina, Fiddle, Flute, Harp, Cittern and Piano]
Performed on tour of Scotland, including Queen’s Hall Edinburgh and Mitchell Library Glasgow, January 2014
CD Release: Waves from Another Shore, The Secret North – Live (Copenhagen: Go Danish Folk, 2015)

Joseph Campbell TV Score. 2013. [Keyboards, voice, cello, concertina, piano, low whistle]
TV documentary Aisling agus Íobairt, Beatha Joseph Campbell broadcast on TG4, March 2014

Dingle Bells Arrangement. 2014. 4’00. [Arrangement for Accordion, Fiddle, Bouzouki and Orchestra] Commissioned by RTE
CD Release: Dingle Bells. Máirtín O’Connor, Zoe Conway, Donal Lunny and the RTE Concert Orchestra - A Murray Christmas 2 (Dublin: RTE, 2014)

Time Flying. 2014. 23’00. [Concertina, Strings, Flute, Clarinet, Trombone, E. Guitar, Piano, Marimba]
Commissioned by Crash Ensemble and Cork Opera House
Premiere performance at Cork Opera House, March 2014
Download score

Throughother. 2015. 23’00. [Uilleann Pipes, Fiddle, Flute, Concertina and String Quartet]
Commissioned by University College Cork as part of Traditional Artist in Residence 2014-15
Performances by Vanbrugh Quartet with Niall Vallely, Mairead Carey, Shane Keating and Breffni Horgan in Cork, Baile Mhúirne, Youghal and Dingle, May 2015.
Download score

Casey, Karan, Arr. Vallely, Niall. Lovely Annie. 2015. 4’20. [Arrangement for Voice and Orchestra]
Performed by Karan Casey with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall, Boston, May 2015

Sinclair, Iain, Arr. Vallely, Niall. The King’s Shilling. 2015. 4’15. [Arrangement for Voice and Orchestra]
Performed by Karan Casey with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall, Boston, May 2015

Trad., Arr. Vallely, Niall. 16 Come Next Sunday. 2015. 4’10. [Arrangement for Voice and Orchestra]
Performed by Karan Casey with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall, Boston, May 2015

Nothing Else. 2015. 8’30. [Concertina, Soprano Sax and Cello]
Performed by Niall Vallely, Kate Ellis and Kenneth Edge at Fuaim, Aula Maxima, University College Cork, March 2015

Time Flying. 2015. 7’00. [Concertina, Soprano Sax and Cello]
Performed by Niall Vallely, Kate Ellis and Kenneth Edge at Fuaim, Aula Maxima, University College Cork, March 2015. Available online at https://youtu.be/m6LNX2eIHjc

Summer in Lisdoon. 2015. 4’00. [Concertina, Soprano Sax and Cello]
Performed by Niall Vallely, Kate Ellis and Kenneth Edge at Fuaim, Aula Maxima, University College Cork, March 2015
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Connolly’s Chair. 2016. 8’00 [Uilleann Pipes, Concertina, Piano and String Quartet]
Premiere performance at Liberty Hall, Dublin, April 2016

Ór. 2016. 7’30. [Traditional Music ensemble]
Commissioned to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Armagh Pipers Club
Premiere performance at Market Place Theatre, Armagh, May 2016
Broadcast on BBC TV, October 2016

78 Revolutions. 2018. 55'00 [Uilleann pipes, fiddle, concertina, accordion, cello, piano, tape, electronics and video]
Commissioned by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council Arts Office
Premiere performance at dlr lexIcon November 9th 2018

Concerto Concerto. 2019. 30'00 [concertina and orchestra]
Premiere performance at National Concert Hall Dublin on March 17th 2019 with the National Symphony Orchestra

Macha. 2019. 5'30 [Traditional instruments, voice, tape and electronics]
Commissioned by Tourism NI and NI Arts Council
Premiere performance at Eamhain Mhacha/Navan Fort, Armagh, September 2019

Idir Dhá Thine Bhealtaine. 2020. 5’30 [concertina and electronics]
Commissioned by Music Network
Available online at https://youtu.be/WEH7mF6CJvE

TUNES

Unapproved Road. 1991.
CD release: Unapproved Road, Caoimhín Vallely – Strayaway (Cork:Independent, 2005)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Cissie’s. 1991.
CD Releases: Cissie’s, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records,1999)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Down the Lane. 1992.
CD Releases: Down the Lane, Nomos – Set You Free (Dublin: Solid/Grapevine, 1997)
Down the Lane, Harmony Glen – Before Dawn (Netherlands: Epos Imaginaire, 2006)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Torcan, ‘Down the Lane’, Music Video, March 2008. Available online at https://youtu.be/8MCBBR5TLG4

Ludwig’s. 1992.
CD Releases: Ludwig’s, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records,1999)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Niall Vallely, ‘Ludwig’s’, performance on Cúrsaí, broadcast on RTE TV 2000

Na Deora Móra. 1993.
CD Releases: Na Deora Móra, Nomos – I Won’t be Afraid Any More (Dublin: Solid Records, 1995)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

The Baltimore Fox. 1993.
CD Releases: The Baltimore Fox, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

The Pitbull Spiders. 1994.
CD Releases: The Pitbull Spiders, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records,1999)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Betty Gluaisteán. 1994.
CD Releases: Betty Gluaisteán, Nomos – Set You Free (Dublin: Solid/Grapevine, 1997)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Súile Shuibhne. 1994.
CD Releases: Súile Shuibhne, Nomos – Set You Free (Dublin: Solid/Grapevine, 1997)
Súile Shuibhne, The Flying Toads – In Stitches (Shropshire: Independent, 2010)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

The Roaringwater Reels. 1994.
CD Releases: The Roaringwater Reels, Various – A River of Sound (Dublin: Virgin Records, 1996)
The Roaringwater Reels, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records,1999)
The Roaringwater Reels, Cé – Cé (Milwaukee: Independent, 2004)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Niall Vallely performance on ‘A River of Sound’, broadcast on BBC TV and RTE 1996

Time to Go. 1994.
CD Releases: Time to Go, Nomos – Set You Free (Dublin: Solid Records,1997)
Time to Go, Mairearad Green and Anna Massie - Mairearad and Anna (Glasgow: Shouty Records, 2010)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Mairearad Green and Anna Massie, ‘Time to Go’, performance at Malzhaus Plauen, Germany, November 2011, Available online at https://youtu.be/wtuTXcmjpd0

Grappa Groove. 1995.
CD Releases: Grappa Groove, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Grappa Groove, Beo – Live at Maddens (Belfast: Independent, 2009)
Grappa Groove, Arabesque – A Turk in Galway (Oklahoma: Independent, 2011)
Grappa Groove, The Last Shilling – The Parting Glass (Russia: Independent, 2014)
Grappa Groove, Cúig – New Landscapes (Armagh: Independent, 2016)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, ‘Grappa Groove’, performance on BBC TV Blackstaff Sessions 2007. Available online at https://youtu.be/4bW2Zy8fZhY
Cúig, ‘Grappa Groove’, performance on BBC TV Armagh Pipers Club 2016. Broadcast October 2016

Hi-B. 1996.
CD Releases: Hi-B, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records,1999)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

30th Anniversary. 1996.
CD Releases: 30th Anniversary, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records,1999)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Emmett’s Hedgehog. 1997.
CD Releases: Emmett’s Hedgehog, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records, 1999)
Emmett’s Hedgehog, Lunasa – Sé (Glasgow: Compass Records, 2006)
Emmett’s Hedgehog, The Long Notes (London: Independent, 2008)
Emmett’s Hedgehog, Molly’s Revenge – The Western Shore (California: Molri Music, 2008)
Emmett’s Hedgehog, Tina Jordan Rees – Féistastic (Glasgow: Independent, 2012)
Emmett’s Hedgehog, Cíana – Loneliest Road (Nevada: Independent, 2014)
Emmett’s Hedgehog, Floating Crowbar – Goint to the Well (Washington: Independent, 2015)
Emmett’s Hedgehog, St James’s Gate – Sessions (Portland, OR: Independent, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Lúnasa, ‘Emmett’s Hedgehog’, performance at Bath Folk Festival, August 2013. Available online at https://youtu.be/5Ad0i5qFpZY
Cíana, ‘Emmett’s Hedgehog’, performance at Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, October 2014. Available online at https://youtu.be/XCSyf6cr5-Q
Molly’s Revenge, ‘Emmett’s Hedgehog’, performance at Sebastopol Celtic Festival, September 2009. Available online at https://youtu.be/o6utqts8i2Q

Beyond Words. 1998.
CD Releases: Beyond Words, Niall Vallely – Beyond Words (Cork: Beyond Records,1999)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Niall Vallely, ‘Beyond Words’, performance on Cúrsaí, broadcast on RTE TV 2000

The Sunnyside Jig. 1999.
CD Releases: The Sunnyside Jig, Niall and Cillian Vallely – Callan Bridge (Nashville: Compass Records, 2002)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Muireann’s Jig. 2000.
CD Releases: Muireann’s Jig, Niall and Cillian Vallely – Callan Bridge (Nashville: Compass Records, 2002)
Muireann’s Jig, Live from the Katherine Cornell Theater (Massachussets: KCT Concerts, 2002)
Muireann’s Jig, Tony Mc Manus – The Maker’s Mark (East Lothian: Greentrax, 2009)
Muireann’s Jig, Smith, Byrnes, O’Sullivan (London: Independent, 2009)
Muireann’s Jig, Lilt – Lilt (Washington DC: Independent, 2010)
Muireann’s Jig, Various – Transatlantic Sessions 4 [CD and DVD] (Edinburgh: Whirlie Records, 2010)
Muireann’s Jig, Scottish Music of the RSAMD 2010 – Future of our Past (East Lothian: Greentrax, 2010)
Muireann’s Jig, Michael Mc Goldrick, John McCusker, John Doyle - Live (Manchester: Independent, 2012)
Muireann’s Jig, Mister Klof – Octopus (France: Independent, 2013)
Muireann’s Jig, Poitin Still – Wish (Czech Republic: Otik’s Kitchen, 2014)
Muireann’s Jig, TheClanMakeNoise – Green and Grey (Germany: Independent, ?)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Michael McGoldrick, Dezi Donnelly & Niall Vallely, ‘Muireann’s Jig’, The Transatlantic Sessions Series 4, broadcast on BBC TV July 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/FoEFJkMcDJQ
The Vallely Brothers, Piping Live Festival Glasgow 2014, broadcast by BBC Alba 2014. Available online at https://youtu.be/OjSg6o_Q8uA
Michael Mc Goldrick, ‘Muireann’s Jig’, performance at The Crane, Galway, 2012. Available online at https://youtu.be/3CCRO63LMGE
John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick & John Doyle,‘Muireann’s Jig’, performance at Warwick Folk Festival, 2012. Available online at https://youtu.be/v9YFwAcEpn8
Tony McManus,‘Muireann’s Jig’, performance at Elora Guitar Weekend, October 2008. Available online at https://youtu.be/mO1v-3CuUY0
Acuei,‘Muireann’s Jig’, performance at Cáceres Irish Fleadh 2013. Available online at https://youtu.be/nrqbgd4yFlE
Athrú,‘Muireann’s Jig’, performance at MAC Theatre, Belfast 2014. Available online at https://youtu.be/pYbqoxPg02s

Callan Bridge. 2001.
CD Releases: Callan Bridge, Niall and Cillian Vallely – Callan Bridge (Nashville: Compass Records, 2002)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Once in a Blue Moose. 2001.
CD Releases: Once in a Blue Moose, Niall and Cillian Vallely – Callan Bridge (Nashville: Compass Records, 2002)
Once in a Blue Moose, Shelta – Shelta (Lyon, France: Association Shelta, 2013)
Once in a Blue Moose, Feistunes – Sweets for your Feet (Ireland: Independent, 2013)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Malfunction Junction. 2001.
CD Releases: Malfunction Junction, Niall and Cillian Vallely – Callan Bridge (Nashville: Compass Records, 2002)
Malfunction Junction, Live from the Katherine Cornell Theater (Massachussets: KCT Concerts, 2002)
Malfunction Junction, Daimh – Diversions (East Lothian: Greentrax, 2010)
Malfunction Junction, Niteworks – Obair Oidhche (Glasgow: Niteworks, 2011)
Malfunction Junction, Various – The Highland Sessions (Edinburgh: Whirlie Records, 2011)
Malfunction Junction, Dicky Deegan – Hibernia: Celtic Music (Australia: Independent, 2013)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: BBC TV and Tg4 – The Highland Sessions - https://youtu.be/ZexeGKlirEE
BBC Alba – Piping Live Festival Glasgow 2014 – performed by the Vallely Brothers - https://youtu.be/OjSg6o_Q8uA

The Singing Stream. 2002. 10’00. [For 4 x Uilleann Pipes]
Premiere performance at William Kennedy Piping Festival, Market Place Theatre, Armagh, November 2002
CD Releases: ‘Singing Stream 1st movement’, Live Recordings from the William Kennedy Piping Festival (Armagh: Armagh Pipers Club, 2003)
‘Singing Stream Air’, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Gabe McVarish – Eclection (East Lothian: Greentrax, 2010)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Kúla – aLive (Rose Creek Village: Rose Creek Village Arts, 2006)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Natalie Padilla and Blayne Chastain – Fiddle and Flute (Independent, 2011)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Carly Blain and Graeme Armstrong – Live at Blakes (Independent, 2013)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Invernalia – Sol Invictus (Barcelona: Espiral Records, 2013)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Poisoned Dwarf – Bolt the Door (Virginia: Independent, 2008)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Scoops – Rockarolan (Brittany: Coop Breizh, 2016)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Tricolor – Good Morning, Liffey (Tokyo: Tokyoirishcompany, 2013)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Patrick Crossing – Yarns & Reels (Colorado: Patrick Crossing Music, 2012)
‘Singing Stream Reel’, Niall and Cillian Vallely – Callan Bridge (Nashville: Compass Records, 2002)
Print Publications: Scahill, Enda, We Banjo 3 Tunebook (Galway: We Banjo 3, 2012)
Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: The Vallely Brothers, ‘Singing Stream Reel’ Piping Live Festival, Glasgow, 2014. Broadcast by BBC Alba 2014. Available online at: https://youtu.be/OjSg6o_Q8uA.
The Vallely Brothers, ‘Singing Stream Reel’, William Kennedy Piping Festival, Armagh, 2005. Broadcast by BBC – Blas Cheoil, December 2005. Available online at: https://youtu.be/mRXe_HFvQ0g
Torcán, ‘Singing Stream Reel’, Cork, January 2012. Available online at: Balcony TV - https://youtu.be/EmAzw2QtDeg
Crosswind, ‘Singing Stream Reel’, May 2015. Available online at: https://youtu.be/8OJzmCVqDLc
Score available for download from http://niallvallely.com/Scores.html

Longnancy’s. 2003.
CD Releases: Longnancy’s, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Longnancy’s, Lilt – Lilt (Washington DC: Independent, 2010)
Longnancy’s, Mairearad and Anna – Doubling (Glasgow: Shouty Records, 2013)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: The Cavan Bucks, ‘Longnancy’s’, performance at Cavan Town Hall, August 2016. Available online at https://youtu.be/NOMtgPfjKy8

Dark Loanin. 2004.
CD Releases: Dark Loanin, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Dark Loanin, Kavan Donohie – Kavan from Cavan (Cavan: Nyah Recordings, 2012)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Martin Donohue & Cavan Nyah Band, ‘Dark Loanin’, performance in Cavan, 2009. Available online at https://youtu.be/aPNpOS-W7og
Kavan Donohue, ‘Dark Loanin’, performance at All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil, Cavan, August 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/Ot8t6XtonjQ

Tiarnán & Stephanie. 2004.
CD Releases: Tiarnán & Stephanie, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Gleann an Phréacháin. 2004.
CD Releases: Gleann an Phréacháin, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Farewell to McCarthy’s. 2005.
CD Releases: Farewell to McCarthy’s, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Farewell to McCarthy’s, Marie Fielding – An Trá (Scotland: Rumford Records, 2012)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

The Wrong House. 2005.
CD Releases: The Wrong House, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
The Wrong House, The Outside Track – Light Up the Dark (Scotland: Lorimer Records, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Kerouac, ‘The Wrong House’, performance at festival Yaouank, Brittany, November 2015. Available online at https://youtu.be/C2aL8BfaJdw

1st August. 2005.
CD Releases: 1st August, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, ‘1st August’, performance at Celtic Connections Festival, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, January 2007, broadcast on BBC TV June 2007. Available online at https://youtu.be/ACT5ZWsFiEw
Buille, ‘1st August’, performance at Open House Festival, Black Box, Belfast, September 2009. Available online at https://youtu.be/8Y6s8g6KEho

2nd August. 2005.
CD Releases: 2nd August, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, ‘2nd August’, performance at Celtic Connections Festival, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, January 2007, broadcast on BBC TV June 2007. Available online at https://youtu.be/ACT5ZWsFiEw
Buille, ‘2nd August’, performance at Open House Festival, Black Box, Belfast, September 2009. Available online at https://youtu.be/8Y6s8g6KEho

Nina’s Jig. 2005.
CD Releases: Nina’s Jig, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Nina’s Jig, Beo – Live at Maddens (Belfast: Independent, 2009)
Nina’s Jig, The Poozie’s – Yellow Like Sunshine (East Lothian: Greentrax, 2009)
Nina’s Jig, Noktam - Les ribin éclairées (France: Autoprod, 2011)
Nina’s Jig, JPTrio – JPTrio (Sligo: Independent, 2012)
Nina’s Jig, Tina Jordan Rees – Féistastic (Glasgow: Independent, 2012)
Nina’s Jig, Matawa – La Jonction (France: Independent, 2013)
Nina’s Jig, Poppy Seeds – Close Shaved (France: Weasel Prod, 2014)
Nina’s Jig, CrossHarbour – CrossHarbour (London: Higlet Recordings, 2014)
Nina’s Jig, Duo Lagrange Rutkowski – Cork by Night (France: Independent, 2014)
Nina’s Jig, The Moving Violations – Elasticity (Vermont: Independent, 2014)
Nina’s Jig, Duo Quéré Vuidart (France: Independent, 2015)
Nina’s Jig, Cillian Vallely – The Raven’s Rock (New York: Independent, 2016)
Print Publications: Scahill, Enda, We Banjo 3 Tunebook (Galway: We Banjo 3, 2012)
Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Claire Mann, ‘Nina’s Jig’, performance at Tinto Summer School, 2013. Available online at https://youtu.be/m4AeH8Jmj2A
Crossharbour, ‘Nina’s Jig’, performance at Trafalgar Square, March 2013. Available online at https://youtu.be/peRVTHn5gbk

40 March. 2006.
CD Releases: 40 March, Cillian Vallely – The Raven’s Rock (New York: Independent, 2016)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

40 Reel. 2006.
CD Releases: 40 Reel, Cillian Vallely – The Raven’s Rock (New York: Independent, 2016)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Mullacreevie. 2006.
CD Releases: Mullacreevie, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Scáth, ‘Mullacreevie’, performance at Boogaloo Café, Caceres, Spain. Available online at https://youtu.be/NpN3vRhq32o

Eleven eight. 2006.
CD Releases: Eleven eight, Buille – Buille (Glasgow: Vertical Records, 2007)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Flight Jig. 2007.
CD Releases: Flight Jig, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, ‘Flight Jig’, performance at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Derry, August 2013, broadcast on TG4 Fleadh Live. Available online at https://youtu.be/ad4UArwlnrI

Áine’s Jig. 2007.
CD Releases: Áine’s Jig, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Broadcast on TG4 Fleadh Live - https://youtu.be/ad4UArwlnrI

Sailing from Rathmullen. 2007.
CD Releases: Sailing from Rathmullen, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Speckled Water. 2007.
CD Releases: Speckled Water, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille with Kenneth Edge, ‘Speckled Water’, performance at Junctions, The Pavilion, Cork, May 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/Xk1dtLiJ3-A

The Oblique Jig. 2008.
CD Releases: The Oblique Jig, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
The Oblique Jig, Duncan Chisholm - Canaich (Inverness: Copperfish Records, 2010)
The Oblique Jig, Alan Kelly Gang – Small Town and Famous Nights (Galway: Black Box Music, 2011)
The Oblique Jig, Kan - Sleeper (London: Kan Music, 2012)
The Oblique Jig, Matawa – La Jonction (France: Independent, 2013)
The Oblique Jig, Skerryvore – Chasing the Sun (Tyree Records, 2014)
The Oblique Jig, Dosca –EP (Scotland: Independent, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Julie Fowlis, Chris Stout et al, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance on Dà Fhillte. Broadcast on BBC Alba 2012. Available online at https://youtu.be/4QJEK9AGpfY
Dosca, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance on the Riverside Show STV, May 2015. Available online at https://youtu.be/UbwCdGp7oAw
Dosca, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance at MG Alba Scots Traditional Music Awards, broadcast on BBC Alba December 2015. Available online at https://youtu.be/2HzPrUjeRJA
Kan, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance at Festival de Ortigueira, Spain, August 2013. Available online at https://youtu.be/wqes0Usn_j0
Brian Finnegan & Best of Bath, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance at Bath Folk Festival, August 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/i5M5mCDj67Q
No to Hana, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance in Tokyo, 2014. Available online at https://youtu.be/wWfp8obMJyM
Hailey & Joseph Sandoz, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance at North Texas Irish Festival, Dallas, March 2013. Available online at https://youtu.be/ye-pZsjpOdI
Valsavirus, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance at Festival Balaviris, France, May 2015. Available online at https://youtu.be/bwJDvdh8Q1s
Skerryvore, ‘The Oblique Jig’, performance at Kulturhof Schloss Köniz - Berne – Switzerland, September 2014. Available online at https://youtu.be/DxwP5gHLQwY

Dog a l’Orange. 2008.
CD Releases: Dog a l’Orange, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, ‘Dog a l’Orange’, performance at Cork Folk Festival, September 2015. Available online at https://youtu.be/yuZJV44qjEE

The Lock-in. 2008.
CD Releases: The Lock-in, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille and Nic Gareiss, ‘The Lock-in’, performance at Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, October 2012. Available online at https://youtu.be/14mT78VbHrI

Skyhope. 2008.
CD Releases: Skyhope, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Trasna, ‘Skyhope’, performance at Aula Maxima, UCC, Cork, November 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/YNK8j-hUSDY

The Wedding Anniversary. 2008.
CD Releases: The Wedding Anniversary, Cillian Vallely – The Raven’s Rock (New York: Independent, 2016)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Annie’s Tae. 2009.
CD Releases: Annie’s Tae, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille and John Doyle, ‘Annie’s Tae’, performance at Common Fence Music, Rhode Island, February 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/Kpwke5OfPt4

The Bull’s Track. 2009. 2’.
CD Releases: The Bull’s Track, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille and John Doyle, ‘The Bull’s Track’, performance at Common Fence Music, Rhode Island, February 2011. Available online at https://youtu.be/Kpwke5OfPt4

Coburg St Nights. 2009.(composed by Niall and Caoimhín Vallely).
CD Releases: Coburg St Nights, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Crack MacPhellimy’s. 2009.
CD Releases: Crack MacPhellimy’s, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Sergeant Pluck’s. 2009.
CD Releases: Sergeant Pluck’s, Buille – Buille 2 (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2009)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

A Major Minor Victory. 2010.
CD Releases: A Major Minor Victory, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, ‘A Major Minor Victory’, performance at The Pavilion, Cork September, 2014. Available online at https://youtu.be/yJmY7p2m0ls

Cathair Geal. 2011.
Commissioned by Zoe Conway and John McIntyre
CD Releases: Cathair Geal. Zoe Conway & John McIntyre - Go Mairir I Bhfad (Long Life to You) (Dublin: Tara Music, 2013)
Cathair Geal. Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Junctions. 2011.
CD Releases: Junctions, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, Kenneth Edge and Nic Gareiss, ‘Junctions’, performance at Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, October 2012. Available online at https://youtu.be/XEPjDNeLQsE

Clifton Road. 2014.
CD Releases: Clifton Road, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Clifton Road, Cillian Vallely – The Raven’s Rock (New York: Independent, 2016)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Broadcast and internet: Buille, ‘Clifton Road’, performance on Balcony TV, July 2016. Available online at https://youtu.be/YDNgn7gPQOA
Buille with Jarlath Henderson and Niall Murphy, ‘Clifton Road’, performance at Celtic Connections Festival, The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, January 2016. Available online at https://youtu.be/sGAqvxKwxZc

The Flying Studio. 2014.
CD Releases: The Flying Studio, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Bloomsday. 2014.
CD Releases: Bloomsday, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Wheels within Wheels. 2015.
CD Releases: Wheels within Wheels, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

After the Silence. 2015.
CD Releases: After the Silence, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Belharbour. 2015.
CD Releases: Belharbour, Buille – Buille Beo (Cork: Crow Valley Music, 2015)
Print Publications: Vallely, Niall, Malfunction Junction – 101 Tunes (Cork; Crow Valley Music, 2015)

Book containing transcriptions of 101 of Niall's tune compositions.

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Discography

  • 1992 - Áine Uí Cheallaigh - Idir Dhá Chomhairle/In Two Minds (Gael Linn)
  • 1995 - Nomos - I Won't Be Afraid Any More (Grapevine/Green Linnet)
    •  - Various - River of Sound (Virgin CD + BBC Video)
  • 1996 - The Scrapes – With Love From the Living Land (Hoxy Music)
  • 1997 - Nomos - Set You Free (Grapevine/Green Linnet)
    •  - Various - Sult, Spirit of the Music (Hummingbird)
  • 1998 - Gael Force DVD
  • 1999 - Niall Vallely - Beyond Words (Beyond Records)
    •  - Various - Mega Celtique
    •  - Paddy Keenan - na Keen Affair (Hot Conya Records)
  • 2000 - Karan Casey & Friends - The Seal Maiden (Music for Little People)
  • 2001 - Various - Celtic Christmas, Silver Anniversary Edition (Wyndham Hill)
    •  - Lewis Nash & David O'Rourke's Celtic Jazz Collective (Mapleshade)
    •  - Tim O'Brien - Two Journeys (Howdy Skies/Sugarhill Records)
    •  - Karan Casey - The Winds Begin to Sing (Shanachie)
  • 2002 - Niall and Cillian Vallely - Callan Bridge (Compass Records)
    •  - Various - Live from The Katharine Cornell Theater
  • 2003 - Various - Celtic Compass (Compass Records)
    •  - Karan Casey - Distant Shore (Shanachie/Vertical)
    •  - Donal Donnelly and Brian Hanlon – Driven
  • 2004 - Various - Masters of the Accordion (Arc)
    •  - Various - Very Best of Celtic Christmas (Wyndham Hill)
    •  - Various - Live Recordings from The William Kennedy Piping Festival
    •  - Various - Other Voices, Songs from a Room 2
  • 2005 - Karan Casey - Chasing the Sun (Shanachie)
    •  - Caoimhín Vallely – Strayaway
    •  - Barry Kerr – The World Looks Away
  • 2006 – Tejedor – Música na Maleta (Arís Música)
  • 2007 - Niall Vallely, Paul Meehan, Caoimhín Vallely - Buille (Vertical Records)
    •  - Various - Excalibur II: The Celtic Ring (EMI)
    •  - Various - Armagh Pipers Club 40th Anniversary
    •  - Various - A Christmas Celtic Sojourn Live [CD and DVD]
    •  - Various – Experience Ireland
    •  - Various – Sound Neighbours
  • 2008 - Karan Casey – Ships in the Forest (Compass/Crow Valley Music)
    •  - Various - Anglo International
    •  - Various – Crowd Around the Mic Vol. 12
  • 2009 – Buille – Buille 2 (Crow Valley Music)
    •  - Various – The Rough Guide to Irish Folk
  • 2010 – Transatlantic Sessions 4 [CD and DVD] (Whirlie Records)
    •  - Daimh – Diversions (Greentrax)
    •  - Various – Sweet Slumbers Soothing Lullabies (Music for Little People)
  • 2011 – Tejedor – Positivu
    •  - The Highland Sessions [DVD] (Whirlie Records)
  • 2012 – Cathy Ryan - Through Wind and Rain
    •  - Suzy Joubert – Half Light
  • 2014 – Karan Casey – Two More Hours (Crow Valley Music)
  • 2015 – Buille – Buille Beo (Crow Valley Music)
    •  - The Secret North Live
  • 2018 – Karan Casey – Hieroglyphs That Tell the Tale (Vertical Records)
    •  - Jose Manuel Tejedor - Miraes

Gallery

VIDEOS

Reviews

Beyond Words

"Niall Vallely’s technical mastery and genius for improvisation are matched by apparently inexhaustible creative reserves. The bending and reshaping is fresh and original, ever mindful of the tune’s delicate melodic structure."

Irish Times – Nuala O’Connor


"Vallely is on of Ireland’s newest musical treasures…He articulates his craft elegantly and precisely, leaving no style or mood untouched."

Dirty Linen – Dan Willging


"This album is a snapshot recording of a virtuoso musician at the peak of his musical and imaginative power…His playing has the quality of quicksilver, his fingers flashing across the keys as he cajoles original nuances and snatches of artistic magic from timeless old tunes or conjures up ingenious new compositions…"

Evening Echo – Paul Dromey

Callan Bridge

"This is drawing room grandeur mixed with muscular belly punches to the solar plexus. Callan Bridge conjures the oddest of reactions to its catholic repertoire, with its haughty defiance of accepted notions of how sounds should meld within the tradition. Niall and Cillian Vallely, siblings and scions of the Armagh family that seems capable of populating virtually every traditional outfit this side of the Bothy Band, deliver a gorgeous herringboned collection of original and ancient tunes. Niall (ex-Nomos) tiptoes his concertina in between the air pockets of Lúnasa-member Cillian's pipes with enviable agility. Magnificent tune titles (Malfunction Junction) collide with spirit-shocking original pieces such as The Singing Stream; they lift and separate and then merge as though pleats and regulators had emerged from the one gestation. Glorious."

The Irish Times, Siobhán Long


"Hardly the likeliest prospective matching of sounds, you might think, and yet their first joint recording is of such joyous quality it'll bring tears of gratitude from traditional music fans this Christmas. The brothers' telepathically close attunement goes beyond making their playing sound as one: it frequently makes it sound as though three or four musicians are at work. Time and again the meshing resonances of their nimble interplay somehow conjure up a phantom accompanying fiddle or flute, over and above the unfailingly sympathetic back-up on guitar (variously from John Doyle, Donal Clancy and Paul Meehan) and piano, from a third Vallely frere, Caoimhín. Seldom has the concertina sounded so assertive, or the pipes so melodiously sensitive as in the resplendent dance sets which predominate here, while both players take a solo turn in a brace of magnificent slow airs."

The Sunday Herald (Glasgow), Sue Wilson *****


"Best known respectively as the concertinist with the much missed Cork-based group Nomos and, currently, singer Karan Casey, and as the uilleann piper with Lunasa, the Vallely brothers recorded this brilliant CD of new and rejuvenated jigs, reels, hornpipes, and airs on both sides of the Atlantic in breaks between their touring schedules. Nobody who recalls Niall's uncanny synchronicity with fiddler Liz Doherty in Nomos will be too surprised to learn that the same breath-taking characteristic is also a feature of this partnership. There's marvelously expressive solo playing from both brothers, too, and crackingly energetic but always deferential accompaniment from guitarists John Doyle, Paul Meehan, and Donal Clancy and younger Vallely brother, Caoimhin, on piano, on a recording that bristles with vigour and clearly inherited musicality."

The Herald (Glasgow), Rob Adams


"It’s been a good year for Armagh, with the men of Ulster’s smallest county taking their first-ever All-Ireland football crown. The release of this duet album from Armagh brothers Cillian and Niall Vallely (pronounced Killian and Nile VAL-luh-lee) is one more good reason for celebration in the Orchard County. Cillian is a member of trad super-group Lúnasa and one of Ireland’s very best uilleann pipers. Older brother Niall, who founded the group Nomos and now tours with singer Karan Casey, is one of the most original and virtuosic concertina players in the history of Irish music. Their collection of solos and duets features many rare musical gems, including some of Niall’s many original compositions and interesting older tunes culled from the pages of 19th-century manuscript collections."

Irish America Magazine, Don Meade

Buille

"Irish concertina genius Niall Vallely has been quiet of late, but this recording with brother Caoimhín on keyboards and Paul Meehan on guitars is a timely reminder of his brilliance and style. Buílle is mostly Niall's own tunes, often in the Irish or Scottish idiom, and invariably played with the type of flair and musicality which most of us can only wonder at….This CD should join Niall Vallely's excellent previous albums as a classic of new Irish music. Miss it if you dare."

Irish Music Magazine/Living Tradition - Alex Monaghan


"It's seldom that instruments are reinvented by individual musicians. Larry Adler did it with a harmonica; so did Pierre Bensusan with his acoustic fingerstyle guitar. And now Niall Vallely has done it again with the humble concertina, a vastly underrated instrument in the traditional firmament. Vallely has penned some 14 original tunes for this dynamo of an album: full of fire-breathing verve (1st of August/2nd of August), lonesome odes (To Mullacreevie, ingeniously paired with The Dunmore Lasses, one of only two non-Vallely originals), and matrimonial celebrations (Tiarnán and Stephanie's) that burst with vitality. With Paul Meehan on guitar and brother Caoimhín on piano, Buille is as fresh a breath that's blown through traditional (and roots) circles in a long, long time."

Irish Times - **** - Siobhán Long


"There was a time when the concertina was viewed as a 'lady's instrument', soft of voice and delicate of constitution. The briefest of listens to the bracing, muscular pair of reels that opens this superb CD would be sufficient to disabuse any holdouts of that notion. In Niall Vallely's hands, the smallest of instruments is more than able to hold its own in the spotlight. The clarity and precision of sound also help to highlight his inventiveness as a composer. With the exception of two traditional tunes, all the material here is original….

Hot Press - nine/ten - Sarah McQuaid


"Remember what I said about Ireland's neo-trad movement? Well, here's an exception of exceptional merit. With Thoreauvian boldness Buille marches to the beat of a different drummer. In fact, the trio's name in Irish means beat (as well as blow or stroke), and a boundary-pushing musical perspective is what they attempt to deliver on this self-titled debut CD. Comprising 14 melodies written by Niall and two traditional tunes, the album mixes Irish traditional with jazz and classical strains and stylings that collectively refresh the shopworn "hiberno-jazz" category of music. The best realization of a trad-jazz blend on the CD is the medley of "1st of August/2nd of August," Niall Vallely tunes played by him with stirring, almost puckish glee on concertina. If Niall Vallely, brother Caoimhin Vallely on piano, and Paul Meehan on acoustic guitar have not quite hit upon something startlingly new in sound, they have most assuredly raised that sound to a new level of skill, sophistication, and soul worthy of any Irish traditional music devotee's interest."

Irish Echo Top Ten Cds Of 2006 – Earle Hitchener - (9) BUILLE

Buille 2

"With such tune titles as Dog à l’Orange and the Oblique Jig, it’s clear that the pursuit of hummable ditties is a low priority for Niall Vallely, Buille’s anchorman, concertina player and composer. Still his dry sense of humour apparently remains intact. Buille (with Vallely’s brother Caoimhín on piano and Paul Meehan on guitar) follow their genre-defying 2005 debut with another spine-tingling collection that bursts with originality. Jazz and classical influences rip through Sailing from Rathmullen, while the Lock-In weds the lonesome reed of Vallely’s concertina with Brian Morrissey’s sensual percussion. Buille’s is a broader church, with room for Zoe Conway’s fiddle, Kate Ellis’ cello and Cillian Vallely’s pipes (among others), which add further texture and depth to the mix. A thoroughly challenging collection that will stimulate brainwaves and pelvic girdles in equal measure."

Irish Times **** - Siobhán Long


"This recording from two brothers forming a Cork outpost of the Armagh artistic dynasty is the second recording of the Buille ensemble. The recording is very much rooted in the compositions of the senior of the two brothers, Niall, who writes twelve of the thirteen tunes – the other is written with his younger brother Caoimhín – and the performances are very much centred around Niall’s concertina. Quite simply this album represents the best of what contemporary traditional music is feared to be. Most of the tracks are built around single tunes. There is an innovative flair to the style of arrangement incorporating the diverse strings of Zoë Conway, Karen Dervan, Kate Ellis, Ed Boyd and Paul Meehan (who formally featured as a band member but perhaps has been drawn away by his duties with Lúnasa). The ensemble is further enhanced by the percussion and banjo of Brian Morrissey and the incomparable Neil Yates who bangs out tunes on his trumpet with an ease that sounds native. Tunes and their basic structure are left more-or-less alone (although they are sometimes a little quirky), but there are often improvised breaks and jazz-style solos that will surely annoy many. Focus shifts easily from the dominant ensemble as in track one (‘Coburg St Nights’) to the occasional explosions of hair and teeth when Niall reveals his astounding and idiosyncratic technique, such as in track seven (‘Dog à l’Orange’). However it is the arrangement and especially the string arrangement that impresses most, in that you can hear an unusual marriage of traditional sensibilities and a lack of fear often motivated by the realisation of the otherness of the string idiom. I have occasional minor quibbles with the quality of some of the synthesised sounds and the style of production which is ubiquitous to a generation of musicians around Cork, but this is hardly worth a mention. Niall Vallely’s compositions have grown in stature through the development of a minimalistic bent most obviously heard in track three (‘The Oblique Jig’) which has a pentatonic structure and a range of less than an octave. Caoimhín’s keyboard commentary is sparkling through its economy, letting us know what the tunes are trying to say through their confining forms. Again this seems to be achieved through a less busy approach than in his previous outing with Buille. I spend a lot of time bemoaning the lack of originality in traditional ensemble work heard today, which is dominated by the echoes of sounds established nearly forty years ago. If we are going to avoid the artistic cul-de-sac of endless variations of the same formulae to a dwindling audience of cultural tourists, it is artists such as Niall and Caoimhín Vallely who will put up the signposts we need."

Journal of Music - Niall Keegan

Buille Beo

"From Ireland, Buille is one of the most creative groups in Irish music today. Consisting of Niall Vallely (concertina), Caoimhín Vallely (piano), Ed Boyd (guitar), Brian Morrissey (percussion), and Kenneth Edge (soprano sax), the group makes extraordinary and sophisticated music and they’re back at it with a new CD, “Buille Beo.” Recorded live at the Ionad Cultúrtha in Baile Bhúirne, West Cork, it is a thoroughly modern album which is an intense meditation on traditional music, creativity and musical cosmopolitanism. Virtually all the music on “Buille Beo” is newly composed by the Vallely brothers, Niall and Caoimhín, who were brought up steeped in traditional music. (Their parents Brian and Eithne Valley founded the Armagh Pipers’ Club, one Ireland’s oldest traditional music schools.) So while indeed there is a strong traditional streak in both brothers’ playing, Buille’s music seems to be about finding common creative ground between diverse stylistic frameworks than taking a singular musical approach. This ability to make metrical shift here or an innovative harmony there allows the Vallelys’ compositions to dance between traditional, conservatory/art and jazz-based musical aesthetics. Niall’s tunes are impressive in their scope. Take, for example, “Cathair Geal,” a complex composition that moves between several different meters, but includes a fantastically nuanced middle section that deconstructs the tune. The sound of Niall’s concertina and his sense of phrasing suggests a “traditional” influence, but Caoimhín’s piano voicings, Edge’s sax and Boyd and Morrissey’s groove pull it in different directions. It’s heady stuff with a lot going on and the band brings it all to great life. Caoimhín’s compositions are equally interesting. “The 3 Hallions” is a lovely three-part tune given an interesting set of arranged variations, while “Whatso,” a play on Miles Davis’s classic piece “So What” (the second of two nods toward Davis on the album), begins by echoing what Bill Evans did on Davis’s original recording, but departs from its modal structure fairly handily into something more textured and harmonically expansive. There are two tracks Niall and Caoimhín co-composed, “Belharbour” and “Cloudy Moves,” which are both fascinating. Although written in jig time, the former’s melody bridges bar lines to evoke the impressionistic qualities of Debussy’s “Arabesque No. 1,” while the latter employs an unusual time signature to create a groove somewhat akin to the one Dave Brubeck created on “Blue Rondo à la Turk.” Buille is on to something great here with “Buille Beo.” The album delivers thoughtful, erudite and exquisitely delivered Irish music that has an utterly contemporary and original feel. Anyone looking for something new and exciting should check it out, visit www.buille.com to learn more."

Irish Echo - Dan Neely


"Buille, the brainchild of Niall Vallely, gives a lie to the false dichotomy around the notion of tradition and innovation. Over the course of a dozen new pieces (cumulatively amounting to a highly coherent suite), and recorded in Ballyvourney’s Ionad Cultúrtha, Buille Beo is a driving, reflective and always freewheeling celebration of life’s musical possibilities. At its heart is the interplay between Vallely’s ever-inquisitive concertina, Kenneth Edge’s soprano saxophone and Caoimhín Vallely’s expansive piano, their parts made whole by Brian Morrissey’s wide-angled percussive force and all grounded by Ed Boyd’s guitar. It’s a melée more suited to the open road than the fireside. Buille’s division of the set into two (supposed LP) sides concentrates the listener’s eardrums magically."

Irish Times **** - Siobhán Long


"Irish concertina genius Niall Vallely is back with brother Caoimhín on keyboards and a few friends fleshing out the brilliant and stylish supergroup Buille. This is their third CD, and it’s every bit as exciting as the first two, showing a degree of flair and musicality which most of us can only wonder at. But then, that’s what I wrote about their debut album, so it’s no surprise really. Niall kicks off with one of his trademark finger–blistering reels, shaking that hexagonal magic box like it was a Bond martini. If your soul is not stirred by this music, you must ask yourself if you’re alive at all – or merely a spectre. Caoimhín’s walking piano bass line is the perfect backing, with percussion from Brian Morrissey. Ken Edge chips in on soprano sax, reminding me of Spillane somewhere between Shadowhunter and East Winds. Ed Boyd’s Gloucestershire guitar completes the picture. There’s rather more of a group vibe than the early Buille, which really was all centred around Niall’s concertina. Here the bulk of the material still comes from Niall’s head, but the second half of Beó contains more of Caoimhín’s compositions. In an album full of high points, a few stand out. The Balkan twists of Bloomsday, the piano and sax parts in Whatso, and the exquisite poignancy of In a Silent Way, which is the only new piece here not written by the Vallely brothers. There are two trad tunes too – the venerable Yellow Tinker given a facelift by Niall, and the radical surgery of Cloudy Moves which reinvents Neili Boyle’s jealously guarded tune. Both are spectacular transformations. This recording was made live, at a small concert in January 2015, and the audience adds appreciative applause without going wild. That needn’t stop you, though!"

Irish Music Magazine - Alex Monaghan


"I've loved Buille's music since I first heard a track from their debut album on the radio many moons ago. The music was exciting, rhythmically and melodically challenging, progressive and innovative whilst still retaining the essential elements of good Irish traditional music. All this delivered through the masterly fingers of the Vallely brothers. This latest release pushes the boundaries even further. There's a different line-up for this album - along with Niall and Caoimhín Vallely on concertina and piano respectively, we now have Ed Boyd on guitar, Brian Morrissey on bodhrán/percussion and Kenneth Edge on soprano sax. Recorded live in Ballyvourney, Co Cork, the CD comprises tunes composed by one or the other of the Vallely brothers or indeed by both together. For a live recording, the virtuosity of the playing by all concerned is extraordinary – as tight as the proverbial duck's nether regions! The album bursts into life with a fine set of Niall's tunes, A Major Minor Victory/The Flying Studio, which sets a high standard for the remaining 11 tracks. Then there’s a nice change of mood into the second track, Belharbour, a lovely, graceful air, again from Niall's very capable pen. The Three Hallions is a mighty set from Caoimhín, as is the very melodic 7/8 tune, Ouch It’s Francie, which is followed by a cracking re-rhythmed version of The Yellow Tinker – it really does takes a minute before you realise that you actually know the tune! The album draws to a close with another brilliantly re-rhythmed tune, Cloudy Moves, which is, to say the very least, a 'different' version of The Moving Cloud which will have your toes tapping. Love it lads! Buille at their absolute best! In between the highlights mentioned, there are some very tasty tunes and great arrangements but there are also a couple of airy fairy flights of fancy where melody is sacrificed for the sake of rhythm, occasionally becoming a bit jazzily self-indulgent. Thankfully these moments are only a few. The sax playing is true virtuoso stuff, but I'm not convinced that the combination of sax and concertina is altogether to my taste (even though the sax is generally kept well back in the mix and doesn't appear on all tracks). That's the problem with pushing boundaries – sometimes they move a bit too far for my liking. It's all personal taste I guess. The few minor carps aside, the more I listen to it, the more I like it and you'll go far before you hear better musicianship or tune writing. Well worth checking out if you like something a bit different."

Living Tradition - Jim Byrne

The Singing Stream

"One item calls for particular comment - the bonus track, a part of The Singing Stream, a piece for four uilleann pipes composed by Niall Vallely and played by Cillian Vallely. This is a lovely, nicely structured piece of music, skillfully written and performed. It is not material for the session, but that's no bad thing - perhaps the session has outlived its usefulness. An excerpt of a more substantial work, it makes me want to hear the whole. Perhaps the publishers would make it available? Like Liam O'Flynn's playing, it brings piping to a different place and exposes possibilities that we are only beginning to discern, a generation after the start of the revival."

Journal of Music in Ireland (JMI) - Terry Moylan


Flight - Imeacht

"Thursday evening saw a celebration in words and music of the Flight of the Earls, for the 400th anniversary of that legendary slice of history. Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin led the way in the Grand Opera House with an impressive line-up of singers and players….The centrepiece of the evening was a new work by composer Niall Vallely who along with his brothers headed an ensemble that mixed traditional and classical idioms. Ó Súilleabháin conducted the complicated work, placing the O'Carolan orchestra in some danger of taking flight of a different sort, lost without trace. The performance was stunning, however, and in a good way, illustrative of all that is possible when you combine the best musicians of whatever genre."

Belfast Newsletter - Andrea Rea


Lúnasa and the RTE Concert Orchestra

"Vallely’s arrangements are grand and symphonic but they manage to frame and support individual and group contributions from Lunasa with a sure, often sublime touch."

Songlines – Michael Quinn


"Let’s just say that this is one of the best folk and orchestra combinations I’ve heard and leave it at that, the arrangements are simply sublime."

Fatea Magazine – Neil King


Karan Casey - Tow More Hours

"Niall Vallely, who produced the album, also played a major role in this album’s success. In addition to concertina and keyboard he also wrote the album’s standout string arrangements."

Irish Echo – Daniel Neely


"…Niall Vallely who produced the CD and also created the lush orchestral arrangements that bathe the new work so wonderfully."

Irish Voice – Paul Keating


"…introducing the string arrangement that recurs on a few other tracks…this scoring is a masterstroke provided by Karan’s husband Niall Vallely, who also produced the record and plays concertina and keyboards on the sessions."

The Living Tradition – David Kidman


Malfunction Junction - 101 tunes

"Speaking of Niall Vallely’s compositions, he’s recently released “Malfunction Junction,” a new tunebook of his own work. Fans of Vallely will recognize many of the book’s tunes from recordings he’s made with the groups Nomos and Buille, with his brothers Cillian and Caoimhín, and on his own. Of the book’s 101 tunes, 47 are published here for the first time. The book begins with a brief statement from Vallely about his background and his compositional approach, which provides interesting artistic insight. However, it’s founding director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in the University of Limerick Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin’s lovely foreword that puts Vallely’s work into fuller context and gives us a sense of its gravity. Vallely’s tunes are presented in fairly bare bones fashion: no harmonies, no ornamentation, and very little commentary, a gesture that would seem to accommodate interpretation. Several of Vallely’s more widely known works, including “Malfunction Junction,” “Muireann’s Jig,” and The Oblique Jig,” which have been recorded by Lúnasa, Michael McGoldrick/John McCusker/John Doyle, Kan, and the Alan Kelly Gang, appear here, as do some of his perhaps lesser known, but no less interesting tunes, like “Betty Gluaisteán,” “Sunnyside” and “Sailing From Rathmullen.” One of the most interesting inclusions is the first movement of “Singing Stream,” a piece for four sets of uilleann pipes. Although the indication is that it can be played by any manner of traditional instrument, the harmonies as played by pipes are scintillating. Great stuff, indeed. Vallely has a unique and identifiable compositional voice. His more straightforward tunes have an openness about them that invites creative complexity, while his more involved pieces carry the sort of melodic breeziness that eludes lesser artists. There is definitely a good bit of excellent material here, just waiting for the intrepid tune collector to discover."

Irish Echo - Dan Neely


Concertina Tutorial CD-Rom

"Are you trying to teach yourself anglo concertina without a teacher nearby? Paul has listed a compilation of tutor books for quite a while. Now we can add a digital product: the CD-ROM Tutorial for Anglo Concertina by Niall Vallely and published by MadforTrad. Many other Concertina.netters have commented on this tutor (and gone through more of it than I) before I got this review written, so I am including their comments from the Concertina.net forum below. PEDAGOGICAL IMPRESSIONS The style of playing here is Irish traditional dance tunes and some slow airs. Vallely's style reminds me of, but is different in some details, from that of other Irish players I've been privileged to observe closely. If you don't know this sort of playing, I won't try to describe it. Instead, I will direct you to the Listening page. I got to hear Vallely at a fine concert in Pasadena, California a year or two ago, and it is interesting to note that he played some more contemporary sounding music. Irish trad is certainly not his only style. I find he takes an interesting view of how to play Irish on anglo, and clearly is a good choice for this tutorial. One interesting feature is that Vallely varies the fingering from early on. Rather than use the same button for a given note, he varies the choices. Teachers and experts will differ on this idea, but it is an interesting inclusion and allows for intermediate and more advanced players to jump into the "beginner" tunes with some interest. For example, Vallely alters fingering in Little Bag of Potatoes. It is no big deal, he just includes it. All experienced players I know vary their fingering, but some teachers introduce these variations early and others later. As Randy Merris commented, there is no home row or scale pattern in Vallely's approach. He encourages you to accept the bellows reversals of the anglo and not fight them...it "gives rhythm," and you "don't run out of air." How true! It is also interesting to have reels before jigs. This goes counter to the comments many of us make that jigs are easier when we are starting out. Nevertheless, my impression of the Beginning section is that the tunes are graded in difficulty and it is wise to do them in order. I would suggest some changes in any future editions. The "ABOUT" section (on READING MUSIC) is probably MadforTrad boilerplate for all their tutorials, but how about some sound clips here to play along with/learn from? This section is essential for those completely new to music and maybe some small sound files demonstrating note-values, rhythm, pitch, etc. would fit on the CD. Some of the music gifs could stand redoing; the last bar of the notated Little Bag of Potatoes is very crowded to read. I would also like to urge MadforTrad to branch out. If they would look through the British Isles to find a tutor for English dance music and for Morris dances on anglo (would John Kirkpatrick be willing?) and someone to teach an English system concertina tutorial (perhaps on how to accompany song?), I think they would find a market for the result. Finally, they might consider some repertoire CDs, where one could learn new Irish tunes from video clips. One tune might be presented using fiddle, another on pipes, and so on. A slow and a full-tempo version could be included. It would mimic learning tunes from others in a session for those of us who don't have one handy. Overall, this tutorial presents a useful approach to learning Irish music on anglo concertina by an experienced, knowledgable teacher. Technically it is well done within the limits of the CD-ROM format and the great variety of computers it will be used on."

www.concertina.net - Ken Coles


"Teaching has always been a part of the Irish tradition, both formal lessons and the simple sharing of ideas and techniques by older players who have always been keen to encourage and help the next generations of players and dancers. (I have been present at Irish sessions in London pubs where the age range of the musicians has spanned over 50 years!) It was inevitable that the digital world of the CDRom would enter this, as all other forms of teaching. Niall Vallely is a player of exceptional technical ability and comes from a family firmly rooted and active in Traditional Irish music and with a number of notable players. He is also an experienced teacher. This CDRom falls into four sections, with navigation being very straightforward. There is a basic introduction to the instrument with a useful and clear section on basic music theory. I firmly believe that those who play by ear should have this knowledge if only because it is the language in which musicians communicate. What is here is sound and sufficient. Next there are two sections of tunes: ‘Beginners’ and ‘Advanced’. The tunes are given in conventional musical notation with some opening remarks and then are available in a simple performance of the separate parts with both ends of the concertina clearly visible by the use of an inset. (I found this hard to assimilate; perhaps it takes time.) The more advanced tunes are also played in full at the appropriate speed. Vallely pays particular attention to the use of ornamentation. It is not possible to view the musical notation and the performance simultaneously (unless you use two screens and two browsers), but the printable version of the score is perfectly adequate if a viewable copy is required. The fourth section is about Niall Vallely himself and contains some brief personal comments on the music. It is possible to teach technique; it is much harder to teach style and musical understanding, both of which are essential in good Irish music. Style and feel come by absorption and osmosis, and when the teacher is a machine this is far removed. Vallely himself says ‘...people have to learn the tune as well as the instrument...buy the Cds...absorb the feel...’."

Papers of the International Concertina Association, Roger Digby


Contact

For further information contact:
vallelyniall@gmail.com

For Bookings contact:
Tom Sherlock
+353(0)12781090
tomsherlockmngt@eircom.net