Florence Fahy

Florence Fahy is a native of north Co. Clare’s New Quay, just a short trip up the road from Belharbour, home to famed and late concertina player Chris Droney and the center of an unusually rich tradition of concertina playing in Ireland. Florence was inspired to play the concertina by her father, a great concertina player himself, Martin Fahy. From a young age, Florence remembers her father Martin often playing records of Jack and Charlie Coen, Paddy Carty, the Kilfenora and Tulla Ceili Band, among many more – there was always music in the house! It was from this that Florence fell in love with the music and the concertina.

Florence’s style of playing has been very strongly influenced by her father, Martin Fahy among other great teachers she has acquired lessons from down through the years such as Brid Meaney, Dymphna O Sullivan and Tim Collins. Florence is passionate about the older traditional style of Clare concertina playing and this is something that is evident in her playing. She has participated in the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoils’ down through the years and claimed medals there in both solo and group competitions.

Florence was involved with different music groups while living in Ireland and has toured Europe, North America, Australia and the Middle East down through the years. In August of 2017, Florence released her debut CD album called “Tunes From The Flaggy Shore” with her father, Martin Fahy. The Flaggy Shore located in the heart of the Burren on the Wild Atlantic Way is where Florence grew up and the great Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney wrote a poem about the area called “Poetscript”.  It was a dream come true for Florence to have a recording with her father and some of her closest musical friends. 

Florence has her own website www.concertinachick.com where you can find out more about her musical life, lessons online and she posts a “Tune of the Month” every month so she can share some of her tunes.  As musician, author and professor, Gearoid O hAllmhurain says”

“This is music from a true master of her art, who knows and loves her own musical place, and shares it whole heartedly with the world. Her music, in the prophetic words of Séamus Heaney, knows how to ‘catch the heart off guard and blow it open’ for all to enjoy.”