'The Lost Violin' returns: Sébastien Luthers to launch album on Lough Gill

In a musical journey that spans countries, traditions, and even solves a decade-old mystery, Leitrim/ French fiddle player Sébastien Luthers is preparing to launch his debut solo album, The Lost Violin, on the tranquil waters of Lough Gill.

The launch will take place on 6th August aboard the Rose of Innisfree as part of a mini music tour with fellow musicians Nico Contamine, Carol Scott, and Peter Gallagher, where they will stop in Swinford, Ballaghaderreen, Wexford, Doolin, Arklow, Dromahair, Davitts in Drumkerran, and a final performance at the Fleadh Cheoil. 

From Montpellier to Dromahair

Born in Montpellier, France, to a Belgian father and an English mother, Luthers’ early childhood took a defining turn when his family moved to Leitrim at the age of six. It was there that his lifelong connection to traditional music began.

“I went to fiddle lessons with a guy called Michael Clancy up on Benbulbin Mountain near Drumahair,” he recalls. “He was known as the man of a thousand reels. He was a very good collector of tunes.”

Immersed in the musical life of the area, he was involved in the local music scene. “I used to go play sessions around the Drumahair area. I used to have a very good session in Stanford's Bar in Drumahair many years ago.”

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Luthers composed his first original tune in Sligo, prompted by an unusual landlord encounter.

“The first tune I ever wrote was in Sligo. It's on to the Garavoge River … It was a tune called The Intruding Landlady. Because I was renting a flat and then the woman in question... She gave a knock on the door and then the door was open. Before I had a chance to answer it, basically. So that was my first inspiration for a tune, basically.”

Tunes Born of Leitrim and La Rode

Luther began writing more consistently when he joined the Celtic rock group Oubert in 2012 and started touring across Europe.

“A lot of my tunes were based on childhood memories from Leitrim and Dromahair and the part of France I was living in a small village called La Rode. It's very similar to the countryside here actually.”

The similarities between central France and Leitrim left a lasting impression. “It's a very green part of France. A  lot of stone walls and a lot of mountains as well. And forests, so really very similar to Leitrim.” At times, the resemblance was uncanny. “A few times I just... You know, I had to blink.”

Musically, the album reflects a wide range of Celtic traditions. “It's kind of a mixture of, they call it Celtic music. So it's basically a mixture of Scottish, Cornwall, obviously Brittany, Irish, and the Isle of Man.”

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Several tracks on the album reflect this cross-cultural landscape. “One of them is called Glenade. And then one of them is called Volcanic Peaks.” The album is currently available at the Record Room in Sligo.

The Violin That Vanished

The story behind The Lost Violin’s title is as striking as the music itself.

“When I was in the middle of recording the album... It was probably finished in February this year. I got a message from a friend of mine in Barcelona. And he says, ‘your fiddle has been found.’”

The violin in question was no ordinary instrument—it was custom-made by renowned fiddle maker and All-Ireland champion Jim McKillop. It had been stolen in Barcelona back in 2013.

“On New Year's Day this year... I got a message from a friend of mine in Barcelona to say that the violin had been found.”

The violin was discovered by a woman named Eider Torrent, who had bought it unknowingly in a second-hand shop. “She was working in a second-hand shop in Barcelona. And somebody came in and said, look, I'm going to sell a few things. And included in that was a violin. She was interested in buying a violin. So basically, she bought the violin. Not knowing that it was stolen.”

Years later, when she decided to learn how to play it and she looked more closely inside.

“She looked on the inside of the violin. The guy's name, Jim McKillop. He was a fairly reputable... He's an all-Ireland fiddle maker. Fiddle champion and maker as well. And he had written his name on the inside of the violin. And he also wrote my name, Sebastian Luthers.”

The unusual surname caused confusion. “In French and Spanish, a luthier is somebody that makes instruments. So at the time, nobody was really sure if Jim McKillop was the guy who made the violin. Or was it a guy called Sebastien the luthier?”

Eventually, a session in Barcelona helped unravel the mystery.

“She sent around a message to a session in Barcelona. To see if anybody knew anything about Jim McKillop or Sebastian Luthers. And my friend was there. And he knew all about the story when the fiddle was stolen.”

In March, Luthers flew to Barcelona and was reunited with his lost instrument. “I took a flight visit to Barcelona. And picked up the violin. And hence the name of the album, The Lost Violin. So before I went over there, I wrote a waltz called The Lost Violin Waltz. So that became the title track.”

The reunion inspired more than a song. “Her and a whole pair of friends came over from Barcelona to be part of the album launch,” he says of his March launch events in Dublin.