Our good friend Anurakta O’Neill recently found a forgotten video clip from Martin Doyle’s trip to New Zealand in December of 2014. Martin was visiting Anurakta at his workshop in Christchurch and he asked Martin if he knew the famous O’Neill’s March. Martin proceeded to play that tune and was then prompted to talk about another tune that he had played earlier in the day called Return from Fingal. This second tune relates to the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 AD and the subsequent death of the famed Irish High King Brian Boru. As usual, Martin brought the magic and it was a lovely wee interlude for those present. Martin is playing one of his own traditional style keyless D flutes that is made from cocus wood.
On a sunny Saturday morning in March (southern hemisphere Autumn) 2025, Ronan Browne visited and enchanted a gathering of around fifty souls with a message of peace in the Irish language – and a lovely traditional Irish air. Despite the fact that he did not visit physically, but in digital form, Ronan touched the heart’s of all who had gathered at Zuvuyaland, a peaceful nature reserve that is a short distance from the great lake Taupō in the central North Island of New Zealand.
The purpose of this gathering revolved around the Peace Poles at Zuvuyaland. A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in the language of the country where it has been placed, and usually some additional translations. The message is often called a peace prayer. On this particular day eight new translations in Irish, Bengali, Danish, French, Czech, Greek, Russian and Ukranian were added to the poles. At the gathering were members of the Zuvuyaland society, the local community and twenty members of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run who were visiting Taupō for the weekend.
Ronan had been invited to offer a translation in Irish of “May Peace Prevail on Earth” by the organisers and he kindly recorded a message and a tune for the ceremony. When it was played, it was as though Ronan was standing there among us – it was quite special. And how lovely it was to hear him playing the traditional Irish air Bonny Portmore on his Martin Doyle flute.
So we are very grateful to Ronan for his efforts and to his friends who helped with the translation. It is sometimes difficult to exactly translate an English phrase into some languages. The Irish words for May Peace Prevail on Earth, Síocháin do Chách, Anois is go Brách, translates back to English as “Peace to All, Now and Forever” – an equally fitting phrase to the original.
We invite you to enjoy this precious moment that was captured on video.
Since 1986, many significant landmarks around the globe – from natural wonders to entire nations – have been dedicated to peace as part of the Sri Chinmoy Peace-Blossoms programme. The Peace-Blossoms family offers an opportunity for different communities to share in mankind’s common quest for peace.
“What does peace do? Peace blossoms. What else? Peace spreads. What else? Peace illumines. What else? Peace fulfils.” – Sri Chinmoy.
Occasionally Martin Doyle’s webmaster browses the Chiff and Fipple forum boards to read what the folks out there have been chatting about, especially with regards to Martin Doyle flutes. One can learn a lot and also see the progress that we have made over the years as a community. Recently he came across an interesting post from March in 2010 by Jim Stone – a flute player from St. Louis, USA.
The context was that someone had spotted a Martin Doyle flute on Ebay and was casting around at the time to see what people knew about Martin’s flutes. Jim was first to comment with these kind words…
I’ve played a couple of Doyle flutes. These are really good flutes.
“To tuning slide or not to tuning slide – that is the question.”
The conversation then turned to the fact that the particular flute in question did not have a tuning slide. Martin Doyle’s basic flutes, whether celtic or traditional models, do not come with tuning slides but they can be ordered with tuning slides or even retro fitted after purchasing. Jim Stone had the following to say about the ‘no tuning slide’ issue.
No slide. The flute is tunable via the tenon and is, in fact, widely played in sessions. The craftsmanship is very good, the design is very good. The headjoint is all wood, and the flute has a great woody sound, good volume. It’s a bit on the Pratten side of things but easy enough to handle and finger. I would gladly buy one of these if I didn’t have quite enough D flutes already.
A Doyle flute is in evidence on the first part of this video.
Jim was on the money with his comments regarding tuning slides. Many flute players do not use them and they get along just fine. A prime example is in the YouTube video that Jim posted a link to. The flute player in the video is Ronan Browne, who is playing a Martin Doyle flute in the first instrumental break and a set of Uilleann pipes in the second. It is a lovely example of the reedy sound of an Irish flute without a tuning slide – ie: no metal lining the head joint. Here are some words from a testimonial that Ronan sent for Martin Doyle’s website some years back…
We have just posted a video and two audio samples of Irish flute player Leonora Lyne playing a Martin Doyle B flute. Martin does not construct B flutes very often – Leonora’s was only the second one – but they are completely of his own design and have great tone. Enjoy the music (links below) and many thanks to Leonora for sending the samples.
Just added to Martin Doyle’s website, a video recently created by Irish traditional musician Michael Kenneally. Michael is playing ‘The Emigrant’s Farewell’ on a Martin Doyle flute made from African Blackwood.
Martin Doyle recently visited Gandharva Loka in Dublin to drop off a pair of flutes made from native New Zealand timbers – the last of the ‘KiwiCelt’ flute line that Martin has produced throughout the years. Here is a video clip of Martin playing the flute made of black maire wood in the Gandharva Loka store.
In 2014 we featured Cavan flute player Ellen O’Brien after she had won the Ulster Flute Under 12 competition for dance tunes and slow airs playing a Martin Doyle Flute. Ellen then went on to win the All-Ireland competitions in her age group soon afterwards.
Four years later a video clip of Ellen playing the Tom Ennis reel The Morning Thrush was posted on Youtube. At the time Ellen was doing a work experience stint at the Celt Centre prior to the June 2018 County Fleadh Cheoil in Kilnaleck, County Cavan. Ellen is playing a keyed Martin Doyle Flute made of African Blackwood.
