The Whistle

The tin whistle, also called the tinwhistle, whistle, pennywhistle or Irish whistler, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, like a recorder or flageolet.

The oldest surviving whistles date from the 12th century, but similar instruments may date from the 3rd century. The Tusculum whistle is a 14cm whistle dating to the 14th and 15th centuries; it's currently in the collection of the Museum of Scotland.

The term "penny whistle" was coined on the streets of Dublin in the late 1500s because of the whistles' prevalence among the beggars and vagabonds in Ireland; the inexpensive nature of the whistle dates from here. The word "tin-whistle" was also coined as early as 1825.

The first factory-made "tinwhistles" were produced by Robert Clarke in England, these whistles are still being made today, and are still immensely popular. The Meg whistle is the modern version of his original,  tin-plate and wood instrument.

The Generation whistle was introduced in the first half of the 20th century, and is still produced today. The Generation whistles with their charecteristic red- or blue-plastic heads and nickel or brass bodies are among one of the most popular whistles available today.

Playing the Whistle

The fingering of the whistle is similar to that of the Irish flute. The six holes are covered with the first 3 fingers of each hand. The whistle can play usefully over two octaves; Clarke whistles come with fingering charts into the third octave, but it is quite rare that Irish tunes will go this high.

The whistle is relatively for beginners, and is often the first choice of instrument for music schools or children. Nevertheless, despite its simplicity, it is possible play with virtuosity; whistle players of note include Mary Bergin, Paddy Moloney or Micho Russell.