Cathal McConnell

Boys of the Lough founding member Cathal McConnel has inspired Scottish musicians for more than two decades with his high-energy but sweetly lyrical approach to the Irish flute and whistles. Representing the fourth generation of musicians in his family, McConnel shares his ancestors' passion for music. Having studied the whistle under his father and a local teacher, Peter Flannagan, from the age of 11 and adding the flute by the age of 15, he continued to grow as a musician. In 1962, at the age of 18, he won the All Ireland championship in both the flute and whistle categories. In addition to touring the world and recording with the Boys of the Lough since 1976, McConnel has continued to record as a soloist. An instrumental ode to traditional Irish music, McConnel's debut album, On the Lough Erne's Shore, was followed by For the Sake of Decency, recorded with vocalist Len Graham. His third album, Love Expectant Comes at Last, released in 2000, features a lengthy list of guest performers including Richard and Linda Thompson, Geoff Muldaur, Oscar Brand, Andy Statman, and Dave Mattacks.