Niamh Fennell
“As soon as I started playing, I thought, “I love this.””
Niamh Fennell started to play the bodhrán as a 16-year-old in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. She was hesitant to play in public at first, she told me in a recent phone conversation. “After a few months I said, “You know what, I’ll bring it to a session.” And ever since then, I absolutely adore it.” More of the interview is below.
(Courtesy of Niamh Fennell)
You can follow Niamh on Facebook and Spotify.
This will be the final 2020 issue of Fanny Power, a newsletter about female bodhrán legends. When I conceived the project I was aiming for one interview a month, but since that didn’t happen (thanks, pandemic) I at least have an excuse to keep sending them on an occasional basis next year!
Chatting with Amy, Siobhán, Mig, Anna, Cara, and Marissa was a delight—you can click through to read any of our conversations from the Fanny Power homepage.
I’ve loved hearing from so many of you who have enjoyed reading, so please keep in touch, let me know who else you’d like to hear from, and keep forwarding the emails so more folks can sign up.
(Niamh Fennell, Tomas Ó Gabháin & Liam Ó Neadán, via FleadhTV)
Niamh Fennell
(Courtesy of Niamh Fennell)
On starting out
My family’s interest in music all started when our local Comhaltas branch (Comeraghs Comhaltas) put flyers offering traditional Irish music lessons around at our primary school. My sister Claire plays the uilleann pipes, flute and tin whistle, so we were constantly playing. I started playing the concertina but I soon found out percussion was my thing.
I started learning the bodhrán in transition year when I was 16, I’ve been playing for 10 years now. Transition year is like a gap year and my Mam was like, “Take up an instrument, how about the bodhrán?” So that is how it all started. As soon I started playing, there was no stopping me.
I’m constantly listening to tunes and playing along to tunes. I wouldn’t play the same beat for every reel and jig I am backing. Every bodhrán player would interpret a tune completely different but that’s what’s so special about bodhrán playing. You can have your own unique style and your own unique take on every tune.
On influence
Donnchadh Gough was the person who first showed me how to hold a bodhrán. He owns a pub called The Local in Dungarvan where I’m from in Co.Waterford. He’s a fabulous bodhrán player.
The first workshop I went to was Craiceann on Inis Oírr. You get a whole year’s worth of lessons in a week and there are teachers of the highest calibre, a mix of male and female which is really nice to see. I remember I had Aimee Farrell Courtney who was absolutely amazing, I also had Siobhan O’Donnell. I really enjoyed Siobhan O’Donnell and how she lilts and plays the bodhrán in such a complimentary manner. I also attended a few one-to-one lessons with the great Martin O’Neill and the amazing Colm Phelan.
There are so many amazing bodhrán makers out there—Brendan White, Christian Hedwitschak, Rob Forkner, Ben March and Seamus O’Kane, just to mention a few and they are all masters of their craft. My first bodhrán was a Brendan White and it was double skinned. I then started playing Christian Hedwitschak Martin O’Neill (MON) bodhrán. I am currently playing a Metloef bodhrán custom made by Rob Forkner. It’s 14-inch in diamterer with Kangaroo skin.
On playing for fun
I’m a full-time primary school teacher and I try to play and teach the bodhrán as much as I can. I would love to teach more if I had the time, but I do have the summers off and it’s easier for me then. I love to see kids and adults develop a grá (love) for the instrument and I enjoy seeing my students improve and develop their own style as players based on my influence.
My sister is a music teacher, so there is constantly music being played in the house. Music was a great escape from the pandemic.
I try and attend as many Irish traditional music festivals as I can. I feel music is all about coming together with people who have the same interests and play together sessions.
On improving
I competed in the Fleadh growing up and I feel competing really pushes you to be your best. In preparation for the Senior Fleadh, you pick four tunes and you have to really work with your musician as the bodhrán competition is seen as a duet. I did it with my friend Sarah O’Gorman, a brilliant fiddle player. We really clicked. We grew up playing together and we always worked really well together so Sarah was the perfect fit. I backed each tune based on how I heard the tune and tried to mimic how Sarah played the tune down to the very last triplet and roll. I won All Ireland codhrán competition in 2018 which was an amazing feeling and such a confidence boost. I believe the Fleadh is all about taking part and having fun more than anything else but it did drive me on to perfect my playing.
When Colm Phelan and Robbie Walsh asked me to be part of Búla Buzz two years ago I couldn’t believe two players who taught me at Craiceann wanted me to teach alongside them. I was so honoured because I was teaching alongside so many great players who had taught me such as Martin O’Neill, Eamonn Murry, Cormac Byrne and Jimmy Higgins.
Robbie and Colm also did a fundraiser [in April 2020] so I did an hour-long live lesson, and we raised €1,020 for Pieta House, a charity for suicide awareness. I was so honoured to be part of the fundraiser and see people commenting, sharing, donating and learning from me. The bodhrán community is so welcoming and so appreciative. It’s a good feeling to be a teacher that people would want to be taught by.
On playing while female
I never saw any obstacles playing as a female player. I don’t see the difference between female and male bodhrán players. You should do what you love, it shouldn’t stop you whether you’re male or female.
I love being a female bodhrán player. I think female players are just as prominent in the scene and are equally as brilliant as male players.
People have a love hate relationship with the bodhrán, it’s like marmite. If you love it, brilliant, but if you don’t, you know…You have to laugh about it and hold your own because that’s your instrument and no-one should tell you that you can’t play it in the session. I love playing in sessions as it is a group of people who come together doing what they love.