Whistles Club: Irish Traditional Music on Tin Whistle and Flute

The Whistles Club is a social group for tin whistle, low whistle and wooden flute, and it's open to beginners. It runs in a coaching style that puts learning by ear and building confidence at the centre, so you don't need to be a pro to get involved. It's led by Dr Michael Walsh, an ethnomusicologist, performer, teacher and composer specialising in Irish traditional music and Asturian folk. He's an ILM-qualified coach with a Doctorate in Music and 30 years of teaching experience, including work at Sheffield University and at festivals like Underneath the Stars, Whitby Folk Week, Trip to Birmingham Trad Fest and with Les Ateliers de Musique Irlandaise at the Festival Interceltique Lorient.

Walsh has a proper track record in the tradition: he was a finalist in the Ó Riada Gold Medal competition in Cork in 2020, a competition founded by the family of the late Irish composer Séan Ó Riada and judged by a panel of renowned experts, and he released the album Quarehawk, which blends Irish, English and Asturian traditions. That's the kind of background running the sessions, so if you're just starting out, you're in safe hands.

There are two weekly sessions to choose from, both for over 18s only. The Wednesday one is at The Dog and Partridge on Trippet Lane in Sheffield S1, starting at 6.45pm. The Tuesday one is in Meersbrook, Sheffield S8, at 9.30am. It's £10 per session, and coming along earns you tea and barmbrack. Individual lessons are also available in Meersbrook subject to availability.