The best gift for an Irish flute player is one that helps them play better. That means a book that shows how the great players do it, or a better flute if theirs is holding them back. For almost any flute player, I’d start with An Fheadóg Mhór by Conal Ó Gráda. If they’re ready to move up from a practice flute, the Irish Cocuswood Flute is the one I’d buy.
This guide is for the wooden, simple system flute of Irish music, not the silver concert flute. If the person you’re buying for plays in an orchestra, these aren’t the gifts for them. If you want ideas for every instrument, my guide to the best Irish music gifts covers the lot.
Find out what they play first
Three questions will tell you most of what you need. Ask them, or ask their teacher.
- Is their flute wooden or polymer? A polymer or practice flute means a wooden flute could be the big present.
- How long have they played? A beginner and a player of twenty years want very different things.
- Do they play the low whistle too? If not, a flute player is well placed to take one up.
If you can’t find out, buy a book. Every flute player can use more tunes and better technique, whatever flute they own.
For any flute player: An Fheadóg Mhór by Conal Ó Gráda
I’m biased here, because we publish it. The book had been unavailable for a couple of years before we brought it back, and I sat down with Conal to interview him for the relaunch.
It works through the techniques that make Irish flute sound Irish. Breathing first, then cuts, pats, rolls and scrapes, then glottal stops. Conal asks three simple questions of each one: “What does it sound like? How do you do it? Where do you use it?”
It comes with a free CD of examples from players like Catherine McEvoy and Harry Bradley. There’s also a chapter on critical listening, with insights from players including Aoife Granville, Mike Rafferty and Patsy Hanly. That chapter is the part I’d want every flute player to read. Learning to hear the small details is what moves a player on.
If they enjoy the listening chapter, my list of the greatest Irish flute albums is a good place to go next.
For a seasoned player: Pass It On Volume One
A flute player who has been at it a while will know most of the session standards. Pass It On Volume One gives them 40 they’re unlikely to know. John Mackel has spent nearly 55 years in Irish traditional music, and these are his own dance tunes. He first wrote them as gifts for friends, which makes this a fitting present.
The tunes cover a range of types and suit all levels. They work on any instrument that plays the tune, so the flute player can share them with the fiddle player in the house.
A gig bag for their flute case
If they own our Flute & Whistle Combo Hard Case, the McNeela Flute Case Gig Bag is a handy extra. It’s made to fit that case, with padded canvas, an adjustable padded shoulder strap and a carry handle.
Check which case they have first. This bag fits that one case only.
Tony Dixon DX103 duo-head low D
This one is two instruments in a box. The DX103 has an aluminium body with two heads, a polymer whistle head and an ABS flute head. Swap the head and it plays as a low D whistle or as a flute, and it’s tuneable both ways.
For a flute player who has been eyeing the low whistle, it’s a neat way in. The reach is a stretch on both, so my post on the piper’s grip is worth a read alongside it.
The product page shows a 2 week lead time, so order early if it’s for Christmas morning.
Hammy Hamilton practice flute with book and CD
The Hammy Hamilton practice flute suits two people. One is the whistle player in the house who wants to try the flute. The other is the wooden flute player who wants a second flute for wet days and travel, so the good one stays at home.
It has an aluminium body, a polymer head and large tone holes, and the shop lists it as weather resistant. It comes with a pouch and a book. When I checked, the page also offered a free copy of The Irish Flute Players Handbook with it.
The Irish Cocuswood Flute
This is the gift for the player who has outgrown a polymer or practice flute. I always recommend beginner flute players start out on a keyless wooden flute, and this is the one I’d hand them.
The shop says cocuswood is the only tonewood comparable with African blackwood, and it gives a louder, brighter, more focused tone. The shop page singles out its low D, and I’d agree. That’s the note I listen for first. We’ve also improved the sealing at the joints, so more of the air goes into the note. It has a tuning slide and comes with its own padded foam-lined case.
When I checked, the page offered three months of Tom Doorley’s beginner flute course, a free Wild Irish Whistle and free priority shipping worldwide. It also says stock is limited.
A word of warning on cheaper wooden flutes. Cheap flutes can work out more expensive in the long run, and a poor flute is hard to play even for a good player.
The McNeela Olivewood Flute
For the player who already has a good wooden flute and wants one with its own voice. Olivewood is dense and fairly weighty, somewhere between rosewood and ebony. The shop describes the tone as warm and rich, with a measured sustain.
The embouchure and tone holes are fairly small, so it’s a little easier to fill with air. It has a brass tuning slide. Seán Gavin plays it in the video on the product page.
When I checked, the page offered a free padded case, five months of our flute masterclass course, a free Wild Irish Whistle and free priority shipping worldwide.
See the McNeela Olivewood Flute
A handmade wooden flute needs looking after. My wooden flute maintenance guide covers cleaning and oiling with almond or grapeseed oil.
Gifts at a glance
| Gift | Best for |
|---|---|
| McNeela Olivewood Flute | The experienced player who wants a different voice |
| Irish Cocuswood Flute | Moving up from a practice flute |
| Hammy Hamilton practice flute | Trying the flute, or a travel flute |
| Tony Dixon DX103 duo-head low D | A low whistle and a flute in one |
| An Fheadóg Mhór by Conal Ó Gráda | Technique and listening, any level |
| Pass It On Volume One | 40 new tunes for a seasoned player |
| McNeela Flute Case Gig Bag | Owners of our Combo Hard Case |
What I would buy and why
If they play the Irish flute at all, I’d buy An Fheadóg Mhór. It’s the one gift on this list I’d give almost any flute player, and I don’t know a flute player who wouldn’t learn something from it.
If they’re still on a polymer or practice flute and you want a big present, I’d buy the Irish Cocuswood Flute. A good wooden flute is what keeps a player going.
For a seasoned player, I’d put Pass It On with An Fheadóg Mhór. New tunes and a new way of listening. If you really don’t know what they have, a McNeela gift certificate lets them choose.
Ready to choose?
You can see every wooden flute we stock in our wooden flutes collection.
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