SMF: Cillian Vallely celebrates traditional Irish sound

ONE of the most respected traditional Irish musicians in the world, Cillian Vallely, makes a return to the Savannah Music Festival in 2025.

A native of the northern Irish county of Armagh, Vallely plays the uilleann, or “elbow” pipes, and has been a member of the seminal Irish group Lunasa since 1999.

He plays the Festival in a new trio project on April 2, along with fiddler David Doocey and guitarist Alan Murray.

While often confused with the much louder and more commonly-known Great Highland bagpipes, i.e. Scottish bagpipes, the uilleann pipes are much different.

First, you play them sitting down. Second, they have a much wider range of available notes. Third, they have their own accordion-like accompaniment, in the form of “regulators,” which can play a chord structure behind the melody.

It’s a lot to master. One of Vallely’s key influences was arguably the most influential uilleann piper ever to live, the great Paddy Keenan, who as a member of the Bothy Band revolutionized the genre of Irish music in the 1970s.

“I’d already been playing from a young age – I learned how to play from my father, who was also a piper,” Vallely tells The Savannahian. “I began listening to those old Bothy Band records. I knew that Paddy had a different style – very melodic, very emotional.”

In his 20s, Vallely moved to Boston and met with Keenan frequently there.

“I got to know Paddy pretty well during that time. We would play together frequently. I remember he told me, ‘As a piper you need to develop your own sound.’ I never forgot that,” Vallely says.

“Paddy had a very flowing, very rhythmic style that specifically complimented the fiddle playing in a band. He could play very difficult solos, but when it was time to play with a band, he knew how to support the tune, and support the other musicians,” Vallely says.

“That’s one reason the Bothy Band was so successful – Paddy knew exactly how best to blend in. He pretty much invented that style of playing uilleann pipes in a band.”

In its 28-year, 10-album history, Lunasa has carved out a role similar to the great Irish bands of the ‘70s, such as the Bothy Band and The Chieftains.

Very unusually in Irish music, Lunasa features a standup double bass, played by a fellow Northern Irishman, Trevor Hutchinson.

“He basically invented a role for himself. It’s interesting, because he didn’t come from the world of standup jazz bass. He was originally a rock player, playing electric bass,” Vallely says.

“He’s very smart, very understated. He knows how the bass can subtly influence the sound. He will often come up with arrangements, and then come up with a bass line that will really be special.”

Vallely says American audiences in particular enjoy the standup bass, “because the standup bass is already so much a part of folk music traditions in America, from jazz to bluegrass.”

He says this is “the fifth time, possibly the sixth” he will be playing the Savannah Music Festival. He is usually here with crowd favorite Lunasa.

He vividly recalls Lunasa’s very first encounter with Savannah, at – you guessed it – the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“Our first time in town was 2012, and our first exposure to Savannah was literally being in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. We’d heard a lot about your parade, and next thing we know we’re told we’re going to be playing on a float in it,” he laughs.

“Our first reaction was hell, no, no way we’re going to do that. But we soon got over ourselves and had just an incredible day. The parade was amazing. We got to see every inch of downtown Savannah that day from the float, from the squares to the moss hanging down from the trees. And the sun was shining – very different from the usual St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.”

Vallely says the Savannah Music Festival is a unique gem of a festival opportunity.

“It’s a fantastic festival, and I’m not just saying that. I’ve said many times to people over the years that I think this is the best festival in America.”

At the festival, Vallely, Doocey, and Murray will play a mix of traditional Irish tunes and a few originals. Vocalist Murray, Vallely says, will also sing some traditional Scottish tunes from his native land.

Cillian Vallely, David Doocey & Alan Murray play April 2 at 4:30 and 7 p.m. at the Metal Building at Trustees’ Garden, 660 East Broughton St.