BIO:

Dave Fallon was only one one album, The Chieftains 1. I do not know much about him other than his was a well known bodhrán player and Paddy thought he would be the right person to have on their album. When Dave recorded The Chieftains 1 he was in his late seventies or early eighties so his start with the Chieftains was probably one of his last projects. None the less, he was still a great bodhrán player.

INSTRUMENT PROFILES:

Bodhrán:
The bodhrán (pronounced like bow rawn) is the heartbeat of Irish music. This ancient framedrum is traditionally made with a wooden body and a goat-skin head, and is played by striking the drumhead obliquely with the hand or with a double-headed stick called a cipín, tipper, or beater. In the most common style, the bodhránist plays the basic rhythm with the lower end of the stick, and adds ornamentation with the upper end.

The bodhrán is a relatively recent addition to Irish traditional music. Although it has a long history as a noisemaker in warfare and certain religious festivals, the drum was not accepted into modern performance ensembles until the 1960s, when Sean O Riada introduced in into his arrangements for Ceoltóirí Chualann and the Chieftains. General acceptance has been slow in coming, as many traditionalists felt that the drum had no place in Irish music. This feeling is mostly gone, due the efforts of virtuosi like Peadar Mercier, Mel Mercier, Tommy Hayes, Christy Moore, and Johnny "Ringo" MacDonagh. Today, the bodhrán is found in most Irish traditional bands, and is appearing more often in Scottish music, modern folk music, Celtic-fusion rock, and even classical music. But the bodhrán continues to be the traditional butt of numerous jokes.

Special thanks to Josh Mittleman, for the above information. Josh maintaines a great resource, The Bodhrán Page, check it out!