Martin Doyle Blackwood & Silver Celtic Keyless, D

A Martin Doyle Celtic flute in blackwood and silver, a simple two-piece with no tuning slide. A Celtic knotwork ring circles the head joint socket, and the flute comes in its original wooden box with the maker's certificate, number 691.

It is incredibly responsive, with excellent intonation and a beautiful tone that carries real power. The finger holes sit somewhere between a large-hole Rudall and a Pratten. With no slide, it plays just shy of A=440 when cold and rises to pitch after about a minute of playing.

It is in excellent condition, a keeper for a player who wants a simple, direct flute that answers every breath.

About the Maker

Martin Doyle was born in Dublin and grew up in Bray, County Wicklow, where he served his engineering apprenticeship in the building that later became his workshop. He began repairing and making Irish flutes and uilleann pipes in 1979, set up a workshop with Johnny Burke in 1983, and went out on his own in Bray in 1984. He became a full-time flute maker in 1997 and moved to County Clare in 2005.