Mick O’Connor

Mick O’Connor is originally from the Liberties area of Dublin where many of the Dublin piping families lived. Mick is a well-known flute player, archivist, researcher and music historian. As a musician, he has broadcast and recorded with Seán Keane of the Chieftains’ fame and Charlie Lennon in former years. In the 1960s, he was leader of the famed Castle Céilí Band. A former Assistant Secretary and former President of the Association of Irish Traditional Musicians, he is a popular lecturer and teacher at the Willie Clancy Summer School and Scoil Éigse at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. He has saved for posterity one of the largest collections of archival photographs of older traditional musicians. Since the 1980s, Mick has conduced interviews of many prominent traditional musicians. A founder member of An Coiste Ceoil, an advisory committee on matters relating to Irish music for CCÉ, he was closely involved in the production of two seminal recordings in a joint CCÉ/Gael-Linn venture titled “Seoda Ceoil” featuring among others, Seán Keane, Willie Clancy, Séamus Ennis, John Kelly and John Joe Gannon. He was invited to join the steering committee of the Irish Traditional Music Archive sponsored by the Arts Council.

For many years, Mick was involved in the design and production of LPs, CDs, videos and books relating to Irish music. Among the books and tutors he was involved with were: The Golden Eagle - a whistle tutor celebrating the life of Denis O’Brien, Harry Bradshaw’s ‘Michael Coleman’, Charlie Lennon’s ‘Musical Memories’, John Cullinane series of six books on Irish Dancing, Kathleen Nesbitt’s ‘Fiddle Tutor.’ and more recently, Márie Garvey's trilogy of books relating to Connaught.

He also produced and compiled numerous commemorative presentations and lectures.

In 2008 he was honoured for his work in Irish music in Corofin, Co. Clare as a Recipient of Hall of Fame Award. He was also the subject of a ‘Sé mo Laoch’ programme with tributes from Seán Keane, Michael Tubridy, Charlie Lennon, Des Geraghty and Tony Mac Mahon.Mick has a keen interest in photography and studies art under Felim Dunfield. He had a successful career in graphic design and book production. In recent years he has painted several portraits of traditional musicians.