Pat O'Gorman

Pat O’Gorman began playing Highland Pipes 43 years ago in the Ontario Highland Piping world and has studied traditional music in Ireland, Brittany and Cape Breton. He met Chris Langan in 1971 in the Glenmor Pipe Band in Toronto, learning his first Irish tunes on the pipes from Chris, and first heard Chris play whistle at gatherings at Chris’ house at that time. He has been playing the wooden concert flute for 30 years, and credits Jimmy Noonan, Ena O’Brien and Kevin Finnegan as major influences in his musical development. In 1993, Pat spent 7 weeks with the great Sligo musician Peter Horan through a grant from the Canada Council and returned to see this extremely giving and influential mentor every year or two until 2002.  In the last ten years, he has spent much time integrating his flute style with Ontario and French-Canadian traditional music.

Pat plays Uilleann pipes and whistle as well. He has performed professionally for over 30 years with the groups Na Cabarfeidh, Rare Air, Morgaine Le Fay, Windbags, and most recently The Brian Pickell Band. He has toured throughout North America and Europe, has appeared on over 30 recordings, and has been recorded for numerous television and radio programs and for several films including the Canadian features “Men with Brooms” and the 2009 release “One Week”.  Pat has taught at the North American Comhaltas Conference in Toronto, the Boston College Gaelic Roots Week, the Goderich Celtic College, Chris Norman’s Boxwood Flute Week in Lunenburg, NS, and the Northwest Fiddle Fest in Smithers, BC. He has played ceili and contra dances for many years throughout Ontario and Michigan and has acted on the committee and as instructor at the Chris Langan Weekend. Pat has lived in the Algoma region for ten years and currently performs at concerts and dances with Julie Schryer and their family band “The O’Schraves”. With Julie, he is administrator and founder of the Algoma Traditional Music and Dance Family Camp (algomatrad.ca), which occurs every August on St. Joseph Island near Sault Ste. Marie.