Noel Hill
Encyclopedia
Noel Hill is an Irish concertina
-player.
, Ireland, into a big family with 7 siblings. His parents and grandparents were all concertina
players. He was particularly influenced by his uncle, Padraig A Chnoic, (Paddy Hill). He lived in a house which was the last house in the area to hold the traditional Irish House dance, where musicians were always welcomed; particularly towards the end of the year when farm work was done. It was at these events that he learned his early tunes, rather than from the radio, books or records. He started playing at 9 and was lucky to have heard endless hours of Willie Clancy
, Paddy Canny
, Peter O'Loughlin, Paddy Murphy, and Micky Hanrahan. Much of the music in his repertoire today comes from the music he learned as a child from these great players. Noel wanted to be a piper, but pipes were not readily available. He played the concertina which had been initially purchased for his older brother.
Noel Hill joined up with Tony Linnane, Tony Callanan and Kieran Hanrahan
to form the group "Inchiquin". They recorded one album. Hanrahan and Callanan then left to form Stockton's Wing
. His most celebrated album is "Noel Hill and Tony Linnane" (1979) with Tony Linnane (fiddle), Matt Molloy (flute), Alec Finn (bouzouki and mando-cello) and Micheal O'Domhnaill (church harmonium). Inchiquin continued with Noel, Tony and Barry Moore (Luka Bloom) and toured Germany. He has been a professional concertinist since the late 1970s. In the mid 1980's he lived in New York City.
The Pogues
wrote the song, "Planxty Noel Hill" in response to his criticism of their band during a radio interview. It appeared on the 1986 Poguetry in Motion
EP.
His main recordings are as follows:
1) "Í gCnoc Na Graí (In Knocknagree)", together with a group of Clare set dancers in 1985,
2) The Irish Concertina One 1988. It was voted the "Irish Folk Album of the Year" in 1988.
3) "Music of Dreams (Aislingí Céoil)" in 1993, with Tony MacMahon and Iarla Ó Lionáird and I.
4) The Irish Concertina Two 2005 with Alec Finn, Arty McGlynn
, Brian McGrath, Liam O'Connor and Steve Cooney.
He has toured worldwide including Europe, USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Australia.
He teaches concertina at the The Noel Hill Irish Concertina Schools in Ireland and throughout the United States. He now lives with his two children in Connemara in the Irish speaking region of southwest County Galway.
Among the many concertinas that he plays, he has a miniature made by Charles Jeffries, which is 2 inches by 2 inches. This is sometimes claimed as being the smallest concertina in the world.
(Above information reviewed and edited by members of the Noel Hill Irish Concertina School, Newberg, Oregon 2008).
Concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
-player.
Biography
Noel Hill was born in 1958, in Caherea in West County ClareCounty Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, Ireland, into a big family with 7 siblings. His parents and grandparents were all concertina
Concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
players. He was particularly influenced by his uncle, Padraig A Chnoic, (Paddy Hill). He lived in a house which was the last house in the area to hold the traditional Irish House dance, where musicians were always welcomed; particularly towards the end of the year when farm work was done. It was at these events that he learned his early tunes, rather than from the radio, books or records. He started playing at 9 and was lucky to have heard endless hours of Willie Clancy
Willie Clancy
Willie Clancy was an Irish uilleann piper.Clancy was born into a musical family at Islandbawn near Miltown Malbay, County Clare. His parents both sang and played concertina, and his father also played the flute...
, Paddy Canny
Paddy Canny
Paddy Canny was an Irish fiddle player. In a career that spanned over six decades, Canny was instrumental in popularizing Irish traditional music, both in Ireland and internationally...
, Peter O'Loughlin, Paddy Murphy, and Micky Hanrahan. Much of the music in his repertoire today comes from the music he learned as a child from these great players. Noel wanted to be a piper, but pipes were not readily available. He played the concertina which had been initially purchased for his older brother.
Noel Hill joined up with Tony Linnane, Tony Callanan and Kieran Hanrahan
Kieran Hanrahan
Kieran Hanrahan is an Irish radio host and musician, born in Ennis, Co. Clare in 1957. He began playing traditional Irish music on the tenor banjo at the age of fourteen, and had won the All-Ireland banjo championship by the time he was eighteen...
to form the group "Inchiquin". They recorded one album. Hanrahan and Callanan then left to form Stockton's Wing
Stockton's Wing
Stockton's Wing is an Irish band formed in 1977 by four All-Ireland champion musicians - Paul Roche flute/whistle, Maurice Lennon fiddle, Tommy Hayes bodhran, and Kieran Hanrahan banjo/mandolin, along with Tony Callinan on guitar and vocals.-Name:...
. His most celebrated album is "Noel Hill and Tony Linnane" (1979) with Tony Linnane (fiddle), Matt Molloy (flute), Alec Finn (bouzouki and mando-cello) and Micheal O'Domhnaill (church harmonium). Inchiquin continued with Noel, Tony and Barry Moore (Luka Bloom) and toured Germany. He has been a professional concertinist since the late 1970s. In the mid 1980's he lived in New York City.
The Pogues
The Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
wrote the song, "Planxty Noel Hill" in response to his criticism of their band during a radio interview. It appeared on the 1986 Poguetry in Motion
Poguetry in Motion
Poguetry in Motion is an EP by The Pogues and their first single to make the UK Top 40. It peaked at Number 29. It features the songs "London Girl", "Rainy Night in Soho", "The Body of an American" and "Planxty Noel Hill"....
EP.
His main recordings are as follows:
1) "Í gCnoc Na Graí (In Knocknagree)", together with a group of Clare set dancers in 1985,
2) The Irish Concertina One 1988. It was voted the "Irish Folk Album of the Year" in 1988.
3) "Music of Dreams (Aislingí Céoil)" in 1993, with Tony MacMahon and Iarla Ó Lionáird and I.
4) The Irish Concertina Two 2005 with Alec Finn, Arty McGlynn
Arty McGlynn
Arty McGlynn is an Irish guitarist born in Omagh, County Tyrone. In addition to his solo work, he has collaborated with different notable groups such as Patrick Street, Planxty, Four Men and a Dog, De Dannan and the Van Morrison Band. He played guitar on the critically acclaimed 1989 Van Morrison...
, Brian McGrath, Liam O'Connor and Steve Cooney.
He has toured worldwide including Europe, USA, Canada, China, Hong Kong, and Australia.
He teaches concertina at the The Noel Hill Irish Concertina Schools in Ireland and throughout the United States. He now lives with his two children in Connemara in the Irish speaking region of southwest County Galway.
Among the many concertinas that he plays, he has a miniature made by Charles Jeffries, which is 2 inches by 2 inches. This is sometimes claimed as being the smallest concertina in the world.
(Above information reviewed and edited by members of the Noel Hill Irish Concertina School, Newberg, Oregon 2008).
As Session Musician
- Mairéad Ní Dhómhnaill, Mairéad Ní Dhómhnaill (1976)
- Christy Moore, The Iron Behind the VelvetThe Iron Behind the VelvetThe Iron Behind the Velvet was recorded by Christy Moore after the first breakup of Planxty. It features his brother Barry Moore on guitar & vocals as well as Planxty's Andy Irvine on mandolin, bouzouki, vocals and more...
(1978) - Paul Brady, Welcome Here Kind StrangerWelcome Here Kind StrangerWelcome Here Kind Stranger is a 1978 album by Paul Brady.After leaving The Johnstons, Paul Brady toured with Planxty, but never recorded with them. His first solo album, Welcome Here Kind Stranger, from 1978, is his only solo folk album prior to his embarking on a successful, long-term foray into...
(1978) - Mick Hanly, As I Went Over Blackwater (1980)
- Planxty, The Woman I Loved So WellThe Woman I Loved So WellThe Woman I Loved So Well is a studio album by Planxty released in 1980. Now available to download from most major online retailers as well as on CD.- Track listing:# "True Love Knows No Season"# "Out On The Ocean / Tiocfaidh Tu Abhaile Liom"...
(1980) - Christy Moore, At the Abbey Tavern
- Note: Noel Hill's website mentions this album, but there is no trace of it elsewhere.
- It is possibly the same as Christy Moore's album "Christy Moore collection Part 2" (1997)
Anthologies/Various Artists
- The 4th. Irish Folk Festival (1977)
- The Green Fields of America (1979)
- H - Block (1981)
- BLASTA! - The Irish Traditional Music Special (1997)