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Order Irish Drummers: Volume 1
Irish Drummers is an insightful publication into the people behind the drum set. A joy for any music enthusiast (and everyone else).
Welcome to Irish Drummers
This site exists is to showcase the talent and creativity of Irish drummers through the years. The great contribution that this band of musicians have made to Irish culture and music throughout the world.
Welcome to Irish Drummers
This site exists is to showcase the talent and creativity of Irish drummers through the years. The great contribution that this band of musicians have made to Irish culture and music throughout the world.
Monday, 17 March 2025
Sunday, 9 February 2025
Saturday, 18 January 2025
Spotted in the Wild!
Calling all music lovers and rhythm enthusiasts! A fantastic drum book on Irish drummers was spotted in Charlie Byrne's Bookshop in Galway.
Dive into the rich stories, beats, and rhythms that have shaped Ireland’s drumming scene. From legendary players to modern maestros, this book celebrates the heartbeat of Irish music.
Don’t miss your chance to grab a copy—whether you're a drummer yourself or just love great music history, this is a must-read!
#IrishDrummers #DrummingLegends #MusicBooks #SupportLocalAuthors
Saturday, 4 January 2025
Saturday, 2 November 2024
Monday, 23 October 2023
How did you get
started with drumming?
My family are in the Music Business so I've been around Music my whole life. I started playing at 17, which I guess was a bit late in some ways. My parents got me my first kit for my 17th birthday and it was all up from there! After 3 months I had my very first gig playing with my brother at a school show. I loved it and haven’t looked back since. A month or two after that, I was lucky enough to see Chad Smith at a really small master class in Dublin and that took my motivation to play to another level.
What type of drums
do you prefer to play?
I have two main kits that I use - a Gretsch Brooklyn which is nice and compact and a bigger Ludwig Classic Maple. They’re two beautiful and very contrasting kits. I chop and change between both of them all the time. My go to snare is a Ludwig Copperphonic 6.5x14 and my cymbals are all Istanbul Agop. They’re incredible cymbals and usually if I get a comment from somebody about my gear after a gig, it’s about my cymbals.
Who are your favourite
drummers?
Steve Jordan, Chad Smith, Carter Mclean, Aaron Sterling, Dave Elitch,
Steve Gadd & Graham Hopkins.
What songs / albums inspired you the most?
John Mayer - Where the Light is Live in L.A
Skinty Fia - Fontaines D.C
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Eminem - The Eminem Show
Starboy - The Weekend
What’s your favourite The Burma track?
Our newest single “Holiday”
What advice would you give to someone
who wants to start playing the drums?
Find yourself the best teacher you can. Learn from people who know what they’re talking about. My first teachers were Danny Byrt and Fionn O Ceallachain and they were a huge part of why I went down the path that I did and got me to where I am today. A good teacher can help you progress on the instrument at a much quicker rate. Also record yourself constantly, even just with your phone. Listen back, make adjustments on what you like, or don’t like and repeat.
Play with as many people as you can and prep for each gig you have even if it's a familiar or easy gig for you. There's always room for improvement and the attention to detail won't go unnoticed.
Photo Credit: Ciara O'Toole
Monday, 2 May 2022
Who are your drumming influences?
I really love Glenn Kotche of Wilco and
Mervyn Craig from The Redneck
Manifesto. I
sit down and I wonder how they come up with the beats to their songs.
The way they play is different to the way I do. They’re drummers that I love and will always go back and listen to. Another drummer that has really influenced me is David Lovering of the Pixies. Over the years, while I was playing, even in cover bands, I used to steal ideas from Dave and the Pixies. Pixies not only influenced me but also pretty much all of my friends. Also I really admire Levon Helm of The Band. I absolutely love their music.
How did you get started?
Well my dad was a DJ. We always had music in our house although no member of my family played an instrument but then in primary school, in order to get out of class, I volunteered for the marching band. I played with them until I was sixteen or seventeen. It involved a couple of years of just snare drum. It was a novelty because we were all young and my friends and I played in parades like St. Patrick Day and in competitions.
What are your favourite songs and
albums?
This is always a hard one. Over the last year or so during the Covid-19 lockdown, I was listening to a lot of music that was familiar. I was listening to a lot of Van Morrison.
My favourite album of his currently is St Dominic’s Preview but it changes all the time. I recently started listening to Arthur Russel as well. “Love is Overtaking Me” is the album I have been listening to most.
What’s next for the band?
Well the new album is out which is great and we’re looking at getting out an album a year. With our first album we had the songs ready and we waited six months for a record deal that never materialized. I imagine by the end of this year we will have a third album recorded that we’ll try to get out for next year. The guys are really prolific and they always have songs on the go. We’re playing Whelan’s on the 20th of May and we’re also due to go to the UK and Europe and play a couple of dates over there in May.
What’s your favourite song on Archive
Material?
Well the song I tend to go back to the most is
Central Tones. I’ve done a complete U-Turn on this because it was originally
the song I suggested shouldn’t be on the album. Another song which I really
enjoy is Archive Material because it has a really good vibe.
Do you play certain songs differently live as
opposed to the recorded version?
Gary: Yeah it’s
actually quite funny because with the first album we had recorded it but we
were playing those songs for at least a year or 18 months beforehand but because
of the Covid-19 lockdown, with all the stuff on Archive Material, we haven’t really
been playing those songs live except maybe 2 or 3 times. When we went back out
again on tour last October, we started in the UK and we did a couple of dates around
Ireland at that time. When we started playing the songs I was thinking maybe I
should have played it a different way. At the end of Archive Material itself, I
have this sort of shuffle beat where it slows down and I kind of have regrets
about that. With the new album, we wanted it to be more of a studio album so we
used more percussion but we were conscious that we needed to replicate it live.
On the song, Different Kind Of Holiday, when we recorded it in the studio, we
used a lot of percussion and when we went out live, I wondered how I could
replicate it, but we managed to recreate the feel which is the most important
thing.
When it comes to arranging songs how much of
an input do you have in that process or is it left to one or two band members?
The way it works is that Daniel and Killian
will do a demo, they love to demo everything. They will write all that stuff
and I can’t really sit down and listen to it because if I hear the song 5 or 6
times, I end up thinking that’s the beat. All I can hear is the way that they
recorded it and I can’t get that out of my head. I don’t really want to get
locked into it. So what we do is bring in the song, break it apart and then put
it all back together again. It’s funny when you hear songs like “Different kind
of holiday”, “Archive Material” or anything like that, they’re different from
the demo and we’re in a lucky position that no one is precious about the
material. Everyone will have a say and everyone plays a part.
There’s no doubt you take your music
seriously but also in listening to the album, there’s a real sense of fun
Yeah
you’re right, anyone who comes to our gigs and hears our music, they know we
take it seriously but they know they’re not just listening to a dour rock band.
They’re also listening to a band that has a lot of humour and fun in their
lyrics and music.
What
advice would you give someone that wants to start a career in music?
The main
thing I would say to people is to start a band with your friends. Get as good
as you can. It’s only when you go out and play live that you really get your groove.
The best thing is to just join a band.
Gary is the cool dude with glasses
Photos Credit; Róisín Murphy O'Sullivan
