About Fintan aka Craig Batty

Aonair Pa’irti’, two Irish words that could be used to describe this month’s featured artist. I’ll tell you what they mean at the end of the article.

Craig Batty, or ‘Fintan’ as he is known as a performer, was born in 1966. He has always loved Irish Music and his first public performance was as a boy soprano singing ‘Danny Boy’ at an Eisteddfod in his home town of Tamworth. He didn’t win but he didn’t let that dampen his enthusiasm or love of music. At school Craig played the Clarinet in the school band, but that really wasn’t the sort of music he wanted to play.

Irish music and culture was, and still is, his passion. He has been seriously playing and performing  Irish music for about 15 years as well as spending the last 10 years learning the Irish language.

Craig’s years of hard work are about to bear fruit with the release in March of his first cd ‘Better Late Than Dead’.

This first album is a covers mix of Irish ballads, love songs, rebellion and songs of protest along with a bit of nostalgia. His next album which is already in the pipeline will probably be original songs.

Many fine local musicians have performed on the cd with Craig including Leigh Birkett playing guitar and mandolin, Ian McKenzie playing the squeezebox, fife and pipes, Simon Watts on the fiddle and Craig himself singing and on the guitar, bass and percussion.

Craig has three primary influences in his musical direction, he loves the intensity and passion of famous Irish performer Christy Moore, the traditional form and style of the legendary Chieftans, and the madcap energy and unbridled fun of the Pogues.

The fondest moment of Craig’s musical career was being called up on stage with the ‘Popes’ at a concert at the Gaelic Club in Sydney a few years ago, and performing the final song of the night with them which was ‘Dirty old Town”. Shane McGowan was “indisposed” that night and so didn’t appear, but Craig sure did. 

As well as singing and playing the guitar, Craig also plays the tin whistle and bodhran, and he also freely admits to loving the Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Craig, his wife Pia and daughter Isobel will be missing from Folk Club and their Blackheath home for a couple of months later on in the year as they are planning a long awaited trip to Ireland, so lookout Ireland here comes Fintan.

Aonair pa’irti’ means ‘one man party’ and anyone who has seen Craig perform would agree that he certainly is.

Glenda Phipps

Martin Doherty

Gary Bucholtz

Linda Mehrtens

Mark Roebuck

Cil Van der Velden