McGoldrick has been a member of several influential bands. In 1994 he was awarded the BBC Young Tradition Award, and in 2001 he was given the Instrumentalist of the Year award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.[1]
McGoldrick formed the band Fluke! (later renamed as Flook) with Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen in November 1995. After one tour, he left to pursue other projects.[1]
He was an early member of Lúnasa from 1997 until roughly 2000 and played on their first albums. He also joined Capercaillie in 1998, playing on six albums (one live) to date.[2]
Between 1996 and the present, McGoldrick recorded five solo albums, all featuring an array of well-known supporting musicians: Morning Rory (1996) showcases his traditional skills. Fused, released in August 2000, explores several other musical genres including jazz;[3] although Wired, released in January 2006, takes the experimental approach of Fused even further, it was preceded by a duo album At First Light (2001), with award-winning uilleann piper John McSherry (also ex-Lúnasa) which goes back to traditional roots.[4]Aurora, released in 2010, features traditional as well as self-penned tunes, and a song (Waterbound) by a Louisiana master of old-time music, Dirk Powell.[5] McGoldrick's latest solo release is Arc (2018).
Between 2007 and 2013, McGoldrick played with the house band for the Transatlantic Sessions (Sessions 3-6) including performing some of his own compositions/arrangements.
In 2010 Michael replaced John McCusker, joining Tim O'Brien on Mark Knopfler's US leg of the Get Lucky Tour.[6] This being a success, he was invited (and accepted) to stay on for the remainder of the World Tour in Europe when John McCusker had returned. He went on to play on the next Mark Knopfler album, Privateering and played with the band for the subsequent World Tour. McGoldrick also recorded for the 'Ceol Tacsi' project with many other British and Irish artists.
Discography
Solo/duo/trio
Solo
Morning Rory – Aughgrim Records AUGH01 (1996)
Fused – Vertical Records VERTCD051 (2000)
Wired – Vertical Records VERTCD074 (2005)
Aurora – Vertical Records VERTCD090 (2010)
Arc - Vertical Records VERTCD111 (2018)
Waterman's (Live) - Vertical Records (2020)
Duo
Champions of the North (with Dezi Donnelly) - Bop Cassettes (1990)
At First Light (with John McSherry) – Vertical Records VERTCD061 (2001)
Dog in the Fog (with Dezi Donnelly) - Boxroom Music (2018)
Mike McGoldrick & John Doyle (with John Doyle) - Boxroom Music (2020)
At Our Leisure (with John Carty) - Racket Records (2022)
Jamland (with Tim Edey) (2024)
Trio
Live (with John McCusker & John Doyle, 2009 tour) – Vertical Records (2012)
The Mark Radcliffe Folk Sessions (with John McCusker & John Doyle) - Smooth Operations (2016)
The Wishing Tree (with John McCusker & John Doyle, studio album) – Under One Sky Records UOSR004 (2018)
The Reed That Bends in the Storm (with John McCusker & John Doyle) - Under One Sky Records UOSR007 (2020)
Christmas at Home (with John McCusker & John Doyle) (2020)
At Home This Spring (Live) (with John McCusker & John Doyle) (2021)
The Best Of (with John McCusker & John Doyle) - Under One Sky Records UOSR011 (2024)
As band member of
Toss the Feathers
Live at the 32 - Bop Cassettes (1988)
Rude Awakening (1993)
The Next Round (1995)
Arcady
Many Happy Returns – Dara Records DARACD080 (1995)
