Many Celtic music fans know Conor Mallon from his successful tours of the U.S. with the band Connla. While Connla is still a focus for Conor, the covid shutdown gave him time to work on a solo project that had been percolating for years. The result was “Unearthed” – a beautiful album that honors tradition while exploring the potential of the uilleann pipes. Mallon, from Keady, Co. Armagh, started his musical career with the Armagh Pipers Club where he attended Uilleann Pipe lessons. He progressed through ranks to become one of the senior teachers at the club before touring in a full time capacity. Conor was the first recipient of the ACNI/BBC NI Young Traditional Musicians Platform award and subsequently was a guest musician with the Ulster Orchestra and with the award winning Foden’s Brass Band. Conor is a Senior County, Ulster and All-Ireland Champion on Uilleann Pipes in the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and has won many other awards. The Unearthed band includes Jack Warnock on acoustic guitar and vocals and Fintan Mulholland on bodhran and whistles. In his own words, “The project itself was created during this reflective period in which I decided to focus my attention into my own compositions and arrangements. “Unearthed” has a number of meanings to me in relation to this project; unearthing my own solo adventure with the project, unearthing the many unique sounds of the Uilleann Pipes and using them in combination as a percussive element within my own original compositions. ‘Unearthed’ nods to traditions from the past, cast from deep passion and respect, to push boundaries of innovation and creativity whilst never losing sight of the source. I composed and recorded original contemporary Irish music alongside more common repertoire, and used the authentic and unique sounds of the Irish Uilleann Pipes as programming samples – as percussion and rhythm underneath the melody of the track.
