Pat Higgins
Songs on Life, Love, Loss tempered with Irish music on wooden flute.
Pat grew up in the west of Ireland surrounded by music and never experiencing it. Not every family engaged in live music in the locality. When he was 21 he “borrowed” his cousin's tin whistle and spent that Summer on the farm, learning Irish music by himself note by screeching note. The farm animals looked up quizzically at this new noise and didn’t object.
A whole decade later, Pat got his first wooden flute and now relocated to New Zealand started the journey of learning that instrument.
Flute is a life long journey and Pat enjoys passing on this craft to NZ musicians through his local “Timber Flute Society. “
Pat feels strongly about helping others to avoid the delay and mistakes he made in isolation.
He also taught himself guitar, very early on abandoning strumming in favour of finger-style approaches to the instrument. Strictly acoustic, all wood, no electric - Pat likes to take the music with him and does not need tech.
He sings traditional songs from Ireland, England, Scotland as well as old-time American music. He also presents self-penned songs dealing with humanity i.e. love, loss, death, betrayal, maidens at sea and cruel parents.
Pat also performs traditional Irish music on flute and whistle. He has taught Irish music at Nelson's "Ceol Aneas" (where he was a co-founder) and performed solo and in groups at festivals across New Zealand and Australia.
He has one album of (mostly) his own songs called "What you see is not your own".
Pat has been influenced by Joni Mitchell, John Martyn, Martin Carthy, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings as well as traditional singers around the world. Anything acoustic and finger-style, and Pat's interested.
Pat loves the performer - audience conversation that happens in concert. He can move people to tears with his emotional sensitive material, and then give them the relief of laughter. The Irish music pat plays carries all the humanity of the generations who preserved and passed it down often in very difficult conditions.
Pat is proud to honour them, share the tradition and the rich cultural wealth of his native Ireland.
Pat has made his home in Wellington where he lives with his wife Marion Hughes.