Lawrence McCullough
"To call L.E. McCullough a tin whistle player is like saying Shakespeare could scribble a bit."
— Folk Roots Magazine
L.E. McCULLOUGH, Ph.D. has been performing and teaching traditional Irish music on tinwhistle and flute since 1972. In 1978 he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh for what was then the first dissertation on Irish traditional music ever published. From 1983-90 he performed with the French traditional group Bourrée Texane in Austin, TX and currently performs in Pittsburgh, PA with the eclectic Irish-Appalachian ensemble Devilish Merry.
Author of over 150 books and articles on Irish music including the popular instructional volumes Favorite Irish Session Tunes, The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor, The Complete Irish Tunebook and St. Patrick Was a Cajun, Dr. McCullough has recorded on 52 albums for Angel/EMI, Sony Classical, RCA, Warner Brothers, Log Cabin, Kicking Mule, Rounder, Bluezette and other independent labels.
His “What Whistle Would You Play at Your Mother’s Funeral? — L.E. McCullough’s Writings on Irish Traditional Music, 1974-2016” published in 2017 by Silver Spear Publications gathers in two volumes the more than 300,000 words on Irish music and culture the prolific musician/scholar has published in 43 years of teaching and research.
Formerly Assistant Director of the Indiana University School of Music at Indianapolis and Administrative Director of the Humanities Theatre Group at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Dr. McCullough has composed filmscores for three PBS specials produced by WQED-TV and three Celtic Ballets for Dance Kaleidoscope co-composed with T.H. Gillespie and Cathy Morris.
He has performed on the music tracks of the Ken Burns PBS television series The West, Lewis and Clark, Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, The Dust Bowl and The Roosevelts and the Warner Brothers film Michael Collins starring Julia Roberts and Liam Neeson.
Dr. McCullough is also a prolific composer of new tunes in Irish Traditional style with compositions recorded by musicians around the globe including Liz Carroll, Billy McComiskey & Trian; Lúnasa; Caladh Nua; Cormac Breathnach; Brian Finnegan; John Carty; Padraig Rynne Band; Katie McMahon; Nancy Conescu; Kevin Meehan; Jez Hellard Orchestra; Noel Sweeney; Tony DeMarco; John Richards Band; Teyr; Shane Farrell; Tara Breen; Elaine Hogan; Gareth Banks; Matt Saunders; Rémi Bouguennec & Esling.
See more at www.lemccullough.com and www.lemcculloughswhistleblog.wordpress.com.