Charlie Le Brun, the Breton flautist who brings Celtic music to life in Ireland
Born in Brittany, Charlie Le Brun has always been fascinated by Irish music. As an adult, he decided to follow his dream and moved to the Emerald Isle to become a musician. “The Irish Times” met in Dublin with this artist, proud of his Breton roots, who aspires to strengthen the bond between the two Celtic cultures.
It's often said that you should never meet your idols, but Charlie Le Brun certainly wouldn't agree. The fateful day he bumped into his favorite musician in Westport, County Mayo, sealed his future on the green Erin.
Even as a child, this Breton was passionate about music, especially the traditional tunes of his region and Irish music. At 18, he arrived on the Emerald Isle with one idea in mind: to meet Matt Molloy, the flautist of the band The Chieftains. He went to Westport and went to the pub named after his idol, a bag on his back and his flute under his arm.
To his great surprise, he suddenly spotted Molloy himself in the back of the pub and began to play him a song. Won over by his rendition of " Moving Cloud," the artist invited him to join the musicians performing that evening. The young Breton eventually played every night at Matt Molloy's for nearly eight months.
Before that, Charlie only knew Irish music through the most well-known recordings and CDs. His visit to Westport opened “new horizons” for him. “An Irish music session is much more than just musicians coming together to play,” he explains.
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