Colin Goldie makes fantastic whistles and has done so for many years under the Overton name. He makes both tunable and non-tunable models in a wide variety of keys -- I've played one of his low-D whistles and loved it. If you've ever had the pleasure of owning or playing an Overton whistle before I'm sure you'll be impressed with Goldie's new creations.
The links on this page are grouped into four categories: Whistle Makers, Bands, Music Shops, and Miscellaneous. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to have your site listed here or if you feel that I've omitted something that you feel should be listed. Please note, however, that I do not generally add links to whistle makers or musicians that I do not have experience with as I don't want to recommend a resource that I can't verify is appropriate for a whistle student.
Feadog Whistles
An excellent whistle for beginners and professionals alike, Feadógs are affordable and stable and have the traditional "chiff" that everyone associates with the tin whistle. Arguably superior to the common Generations, although that's probably a discussion for the forum!
Humphrey Whistles
Gary Humphrey makes cylindrical metal-bodied whistles with black acetal mouthpieces. This is the whistle that I'm currently playing and am very fond of it. His whistles mimic the look of the Generation / Feadóg style mass-produced whistles, but with the tone, tuning, and stability of a professional high-end instrument. Prices are reasonable (~$90 for a standard D) for a handmade instrument, but if you're looking for a quality whistle at a good price, make sure you order one soon since word is spreading about Gary's work.
UPDATE: Gary is unfortunately not taking any orders at the moment but I'm going to keep his site linked here in case he opens for business again.
John Sindt
John Sindt's whistles are another one that can't be confused with any other maker. He aimed to build whistles that have the Generation 'chiff' but with much more reliable tuning ability and intonation. His instruments have been gaining in popularity, so if you're interested, you better grab one now before his waiting list rivals that of Michael Copeland!
Ralph Sweet
Maker of the Sweetheart Flutes & Fifes, these instruments (whistles included) are sold in a variety of mail-order catalogs. They're geared more towards the beginning player, but that's certainly not to say they lack in quality. Rather, they are affordable and reliable, and an excellent choice to begin with.
Susato Whistles
Susato has been making affordable, reliable instruments for many years. When I was touring regularly this was my whistle of choice, mostly because it was stable in all weather environments. To my ear, it sounds a bit too much a like a recorder to be used in sessions or recordings, but for a live performance it's fantastic.
Terry McGee
Based in Australia, Terry has built 2 flutes for me, and I've happily recommended his work to dozens of prospective flute players. I think his instruments rival any others I've tried (and I've tried a bunch!) but what really impressed me about Terry is the ammount of time he spends doing research. If you're planning to learn the flute as well as the whistle, give Terry's site a look.
Danu
A relatively new band, their albums and live shows are not to be missed. They've got a lot of drive in their sets -- Tom Doorley, flute player.
Dervish
Dervish is based in Sligo, but has likely toured in every continent on the planet. They've been together for over ten years, and their recordings and performances just keep getting better. Liam Kelly (flute/whistle) is one of my favorites out there.
Flook
Brian Finnegan plays the whistle and Sarah Allen the flute in this four person group that absolutely rocks. Very inventive takes on traditional tunes as well as some really nice originals. For a whistle style that you probably won't hear anywhere else, check these guys out and listen to Brian tear it up.
Grada
Grada is made up of folks from Ireland and New Zealand and does a great job putting their touch on traditional tunes and songs. Fantastic flute and whistle playing is provide by Alan Doherty -- definitely check these guys out.
Lunasa
Here's another modern traditional band that adds some interesting instruments to the mix. It would be difficult to call Lunasa a pure-drop traditional band, but if you're looking for something new, these guys are great. Also check out flute/whistle player Kevin Crawford's solo albums for some great traditional music.
Michael McGoldrick
McGoldrick is also a musician who is very skilled in the traditional music and style, but does a great job with modern arrangements. His album Fused combines trad with funk, jazz, and blues, while his duet CD with John McSherry, At First Light, is a lot more old-school.
Old Blind Dogs
A Scottish band that has gone through several members, Old Blind Dogs tends to use more bagpipes than whistle, but both are awesome on their records.
Solas
Solas is a group based in America that tours worldwide. Seamus Egan is perhaps one of the most well known and highly regarded flute/whistle players in the world, both as a musician as well as a producer. Give a listen to their first two albums, Solas, and Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers.
Teada
Teada are a young group from Ireland that has undergone some membership changes over the years but they are as powerful as ever. They are deeply connected to traditional tunes and do a fantastic job of adding spark and energy to their recordings and live performances.
The Chieftains
If you don't know this band, stop right now. Easily the most famous Irish traditional group in history, their earlier albums are some of the best recordings of traditional music ever produced. Paddy Moloney, Matt Molloy, Sean Potts, et al. Good stuff here.
Based in Voorheesville, NY, Andy's has a huge selection of whistles, flutes, and other wind instruments plus pretty much every other traditional category out there.
This site is run by fiddle player Philippe Varlet, in the Washington D.C. area. His site is full of excellent CDs, typically very traditional ones, and great reviews of the music that he sells. If you're looking for hard-to-find traditional music recordings, start here.
Celtic Treasures is a shop in Saratoga Springs which carries a great selection of music, both new and old, plus several whistles of varying cost and style.
This is probably the most famous music shop in Western Ireland. They deal mostly in stringed instruments, but have a nice collection of CDs, videos, and the like from local as well as national groups.
Lark has been around for quite sometime and probably has the largest collection of instruments online. They deal not just in traditional Irish instruments, but have a great variety.
A Maine, USA company, Song of the Sea was a new discovery to me -- I found them while looking for Uilleann pipes. They stock a great selection of pipes, flutes, and whistles, plus loads of percussion and stringed instruments as well.
Chiff and Fipple is one of the most respected tin whistle sites on the net -- they publish interviews with whistle makers and players, plus have great reviews of various whistles and albums, as well as a good bit of humor.
Another site not exclusively about whistles, Irish-Music.Net has great reviews of CDs, instruments, info about traditonal music festivals, etc.
IRTRAD is not a website, but a mailing list -- this is a great resource for folks who are looking to learn the nitty-gritty of Irish music. The discussions that go on here can boggle the mind.
MFT is another tutorial site that sells lessons on CD-ROM from some of the best players out there. I grabbed the Seamus Egan flute tutorial, and let me tell you, it's awesome!
This is a database of ABC tunes collected by Henrik Norbek -- though the settings might be a bit questionable, its a great site to search out a tune that's stuck in your head!
TheSession.org offers tunes and information about recordings provided by its members. As with any online tune listing, it's wise to be observant of the settings used as they may not be completely accurate, but TheSession can be a good place to search out tunes. As an update, many of the sheet music files that I've associated with the tutorials have come from TheSession.org, so credit where due!
Like IRTRAD, this is not so much of a website as much as it is a mailing list. This one is geared specifically toward the wooden flute, but there are some great flute/whistle players who participate and offer very good conversation.
