About Martin
“Precision, imagination and an unfailing awareness of form.”
Rob Adams, The Herald
Martin O’Neill doesn’t just play the bodhrán — he rewrites what it’s capable of. Over more than a decade he’s pushed the Irish frame drum from folk-session staple to festival headline instrument, touring Europe with Stevie Wonder and sharing stages with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones.
He’s laid down tracks on more than 60 albums, turned up on TV and radio around the world, and kept a touring calendar spanning the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America.
A multi-instrumentalist by training, Martin is best known for turning a single frame drum into an instrument of startling range. He holds All-Scotland, All-Britain and All-Ireland titles and is widely recognised as one of today’s leading exponents of the bodhrán. In 2010, he was named Instrumentalist of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
Teaching runs just as deep as performing. With a music education to degree level and more than 17 years in the classroom, Martin delivers workshops and masterclasses worldwide — breaking down the physical and technical mechanics of bodhrán playing for players at every level.
Artists Martin has worked with include: Stevie Wonder, Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, Julie Fowlis, Danú, Fred Morrison and Treacherous Orchestra.
In Their Words
“Bodhrán players can do star solo spots – as the much-in-demand Martin O’Neill illustrated by incorporating jazz drummer-style brush work, walking basslines and intricately rhythmic melodies into one impressive fantasia. Put O’Neill together with fiddle and accordion, though and he’s selfless, driving tunes with precision, imagination and an unfailing awareness of form.”
Rob Adams, The Herald
“I have to make a particular note of Martin O’Neill’s astounding bodhrán playing – at times it sounded like he was playing an entire drum kit, with his spirited rhythms really breathing life into the overall sound.” “The unparalleled Martin O’Neill on bodhrán.” “As witnessed earlier in the festival, Martin O’Neill provided the heartbeat of the set with his expressive bodhrán playing.”
Mike Wilson, greenmanreview.com
“Is mesmerising to witness on bodhrán with his powerfully rhythmic playing.”
Debbie Koritsas, The Living Tradition
“Enthrals the audience with a melodic, talking drum-style solo.”
John L Walters, The Guardian