# Music by Genre > Celtic, U.K., Nordic, Quebecois, European Folk >  Best Celtic mandolin players?

## nkforster

I'm writing a couple of articles for my blog. Could you help?

Who are your top 5 mandolin players/recording artists from the last 40 years of the "Celtic" persuasion?

Nigel
http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/instruments/mandolin/

----------


## foldedpath

Mandolin only, or Mandola, OM, and Zouk?

You're also going to get a mix of instrumental-only, accompaniment-only, and those who do both, which I think somewhat muddies the waters when the words "Best" and "Top 5" are used. Maybe "Well Known" would be a better approach? 

Anyway, I'll post something more later after thinking about it, but for a starter I'd name Simon Mayor and Ale Möller as personal influences (if the longer scale instruments are in the mix).

----------


## Tim Griffin

> I'm writing a couple of articles for my blog. Could you help?
> 
> Who are your top 5 mandolin players/recording artists from the last 40 years of the "Celtic" persuasion?
> 
> Nigel
> http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/instruments/mandolin/


Marla Fibish and David Surrette are quite good.

----------


## Eddie Sheehy

Derek Wardell - original Wolfe Tones
Andy Irvine
Marla Fibish
Tim Connell
Johnny O'Connor

----------


## Nigel Gatherer

 *Dave Swarbrick* has always been one of my favourites and a big influence in the early days. It's his exuberance and joy of playing which comes across most, in my opinion.
 *Gary Peterson* of the Shetland band Hom Bru is an excellent player, and again there is a joy of the music which is evident in his sound.
 *Marla Fibish* is someone I haven't heard a great deal of, but I aim to hear more. Her playing is wonderful.
 *Mick Moloney* is a trailblazer and his album "Strings Attached" was a knockout.
 The last place goes to *Iain McLeod*, who plays beautifully.

================================================
Other players who nearly made it:
Dan Beimborn
J P Cormier
Anna Massie
Jim Sutherland
Allan Barty
Brian Connolly
Nigel Forster
Brendan OReagan
Dagger Gordon
Kevin MacLeod
Luke Plumb

----------

kmmando, 

Larry Ayers, 

Snicky58

----------


## Dagger Gordon

All of the people mentioned so far are obviously worth hearing.

For me though, the thing which I liked was really how well the mandolin(s) were used in a band,
So from that point of view, De Danann's early album Selected Jigs, Reels and Songs with Charlie Piggott, Johnny Moynihan and Alec Finn on mandolins, bouzoukis and tenor banjo was a sound which I still think is hard to beat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttHd...bhcP7A&index=8

Similarly, the Irvine/Lunny combination on that first Planxty album still gets me every time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO8aWldqewc

----------

Jesse Harmon

----------


## kmmando

Spot on Dagger, and I'd add the early Battlefield band albums which had a lot of mainly Sobell instrumental tracks on similar strings. Brian McNeill led the way there, and Ged Foley was in there, and he's a fine mandolinist indeed. 

And Dave Richardson of The Boys of the Lough was right at the forefront of playing mandolin in a Scottish/Irish context, long before many others.

Incomparable musicians all who created excellent original sounding traditional music.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> And Dave Richardson of The Boys of the Lough was right at the forefront of playing mandolin in a Scottish/Irish context, long before many others.


I quite agree. His playing and indeed his choice of instruments played a big part in my own music.
Latter day BOTL albums don't feature him so much, but his playing in the early line-up with Robin Morton was really good. Listen to the album Wish You Were Here, recorded on a Scottish Highlands and Islands tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICt9eEfB2-4

----------


## kmmando

Matheu Watson is pretty amazing on mandolin, and a whole host of other instruments - one of the very best of his generation, a phenomenal musician and great fellow too.

----------


## Francis J

I could not agree more with Dagger and previous posters that Andy Irvine holds a special place on the list.  Paul Brady is also a fine Mandolin player.  Declan Corey deserves a mention, as does Brian mcDonagh of Dervish.

----------

kmmando, 

Snicky58

----------


## des

Don't forget Barney McKenna & John Sheehan

----------

kmmando

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> Don't forget Barney McKenna & John Sheehan


From the Dubliners of course.

It's maybe worth remembering that in the early seventies the mandolin was generally quite a prominent instrument in folky bands, and was used in the Dubliners, Fairport, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, Horslips, Hedgehog Pie, Lindisfarne, the MacCalmans and plenty others.

Indeed, when I started playing it I actually thought it was a much more established 'Celtic' instrument than it turned out to be!

----------

kmmando

----------


## montana

I'm still knocked out by that Mick Maloney album. What triplets!

----------

Rick Schneider, 

sgrexa

----------


## sgrexa

Tim O'Brien deserves a mention. I love Brian Connolly from Craobh Rua though he mostly plays tenor banjo but is equally proficient on mandolin.

Sean

----------

Loretta Callahan

----------


## kmmando

I acquired my 1922 Gibson F4 from Jimmy MacGregor a few years back now, who formed a very renowned Scottish song based duo with the late Robin Hall. They toured globally with Scottish songs through the 1960s onwards, with mandolin to the fore, another example of the mandolin in use, yet rather forgotten.

----------

des

----------


## des

This might be turning into _first_ Celtic mandolin players - Jimmy MacGregor - closely followed by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron ?

----------


## John Flynn

I never say who is "best." That is a meaningless term in the creative arts and those kinds of answers only start arguments. My favorites are (in no order):
Mick Moloney
Kevin MacLeod
Kevin McElroy
Aidan Crossey
Dagger Gordon
David Surette
Dan Biemborn
Michael Kerry

----------

kmmando, 

Rick Schneider

----------


## nkforster

> This might be turning into _first_ Celtic mandolin players - Jimmy MacGregor - closely followed by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron ?



Ah, these fellers are new to me....tell me more!

Nigel
www.nkforsterguitars.com

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor - Scottish folk duo in the 60's.

Robin Williamson and Mike Heron - The Incredible String Band!  (actually I don't recall Mike playing mandolin much. Robin certainly - and everything else besides.)

No mention of the Corries - Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne - yet. I think they both played the mandolin, and Roy built very interesting stringed instruments called combolins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwDk...isDcvA&index=3

----------


## Mike Crocker

Simon Mayor
Brian Taheny

----------


## Gelsenbury

I haven't read Robin Bullock's name yet. He is primarily a guitarist, but a great mandolin player too. 

I also really like Simon Mayor, David Surette, Kevin Macleod and the guy from Craobh Rua, who have been mentioned already.

----------

kmmando

----------


## mandocrucian

*Andy Irvine
Mick Moloney
Dave Swarbrick
Martin Jenkins*  (Dando Shaft, Hedgehog Pie, Whippersnapper)

mandolas, bouzoukis, OMs etc.
*Donal Lunny
Johnny Moynihan
Terry Woods
Manus Lunny*

----------


## Paul Brett

A lot of the above... and Endsa Scahill

----------


## dmcginnis

Let's add our frequent contributor Roger Landes to the list.

----------

zoukboy

----------


## hokelore

Some Battlefield Band alums need mentioned:
Jamie McMenemy
Ged Foley
And although I think of him more as a fiddler and cittern player, Brian McNeill

----------


## Maunus

Declan Corey is my favorite player all time. Andy Irvine's playing is amazing too, but more melodious, whereas Corey's is extremely energetic and rhythmical which I like.

----------

Kieran

----------


## Jock

Iain MacLeod, not saying he's the best but if there were a list, his name should be on it.

----------


## Mike Anderson

I'll chime in and say, absolutely with no qualifications whatsoever, that my favourite Celtic mandolin player is Kevin MacLeod. I have all his albums now, and they are a truly beautiful and inspiring body of work. From the little contact I've had with him I expect this will probably embarrass him, but I pride myself on a great set of ears and a powerful sense of what is genuine and heartfelt, and Kevin is the real deal in every possible respect.

----------

kmmando

----------


## Maunus

I forgot to mention Paul Kelly, I never get tired of listening to his "Mandolin album".

----------


## Sprinklepete

Andy Irvine for me has it all, in the way he sings and plays. Apart from his bouzouki and mandolin playing, he is a wonderful singer. At the side of Donal Lunny and Lian O'Flynn, there's not much better.

----------


## Gan Ainm

I (like the last poster) am rather late to this thread and I agree whole heartedly with  the previous choices of greats, but I couldn't but help remind us of two Americans (in addition to Marla) who have put their own stylistic  spin on beautifully executed Celtic music, Paul Kotapish and the late great John McGann.

----------


## Tim Griffin

Eamon O'Leary is a fine player but seen mostly on bouzouki or mandola.

----------

Rick Schneider

----------


## mgap

Brian Mullins from the band Colcannon.  Plays many stringed instruments but started out playing guitar and mandolin for the band, and has added many others.
http://colcannon.com/brian-mullins

----------


## tirvaluk

I see Simon Mayor mentioned above. He is without doubt a fantastic mandolin player but I wouldn't call him Celtic. His Celtic Mandolin album is good but he doesn't have a Celtic feel in his music. Ian Mcleod formerly of the band Shooglenifty is a great Celtic mandolin player.

----------

kmmando

----------


## kmmando

Ian MacLeod is a superb mandolinist, groovy as feck!

----------


## Mike Anderson

> Ian MacLeod is a superb mandolinist, groovy as feck!


I'll double that - in 1995 when I first heard "The Tammienorrie" from Shooglenifty's first album, that one that ends with "Reel des Voyageurs", it was one of those prime musical moments. Absolutely stunning.

----------

