Born in Cabra, Dublin, Masterson grew up in a musical family, and learned to play the pipes and other instruments at an early age. He was encouraged by his parents Frances and Jim, who both played traditional music, and by his uncle Jimmy O'Reilly, a squeezebox player from Multyfarnham, County Westmeath. He took a keen interest in the uilleann pipes and was mentored by pipe maker Matt Kiernan, who lived nearby and made his first set. Masterson first played with the Pipers ClubCéilí Band, and his first group was Tipsy Sailor, which included Gerry O'Connor and Fiách Ó Broin. Masterson gained a Leaving Certificate from O'Connell School, Dublin, in 1974.
Music career
Moving Hearts
The group Moving Hearts was formed in 1981 when two members of Planxty, Dónal Lunny and Christy Moore, decided to explore the possibilities of linking contemporary music to Irish traditional music. They initially intended to form a trio with guitarist Declan Sinnott, but then expanded the group to include Irish musicians Keith Donald, Eoghan O'Neill, Brian Calnan, and Davy Spillane. After several changes of personnel and the recording of three albums, Moving Hearts, The Dark End Of The Street and Live Hearts, Moving Hearts performed as an instrumental group, recording the album The Storm with a new line-up consisting of: Spillane and Masterson, Lunny, Donald, Noel Eccles, Matt Kelleghan, O'Neill and Greg Boland. The group ceased touring in 1984, appearing only at occasional festivals like the Preseli Folk Festival—now the Fishguard Folk Festival—in 1986. They performed for a sold out, farewell concert at Dublin's Point Theatre in 1990, with Flo McSweeney on vocals.
In the winter of 1984, Andy Irvine gathered a collection of musicians from throughout Europe and formed Mosaic, with a final line-up including Irvine himself, Lunny, Masterson, Danish Lissa Ladefoged, Dutch Hans Theessink, and Hungarian singer Márta Sebestyén from Muzsikás. They performed in Budapest on 12 July 1985, followed by a further two gigs in Hungary and an appearance at the Dranouterfestival in Belgium in early August, prior to their English tour. Their seventh gig was billed at the SouthportArts Center, which Chris Hardwick of Folk Roots reviewed with the words: "Every once in a while the folk scene throws up a new permutation in which exceptionally gifted individuals come together to produce something so innovative and exhilarating that it goes way beyond the sum of the parts". However, the band lasted only that one summer.
Patrick Street
Masterson, along with Bill Whelan, joined Patrick Street in time to record the album Irish Times.
''Riverdance''
In 1994, Masterson teamed up with Whelan again and joined Riverdance. He remained with the show on and off for its entire duration, playing uilleann pipes, low whistle, tin whistle, kaval and bouzouki, also taking on the duties of musical director, until the Farewell show in May 2012. He returned for the 25th Anniversary series of concerts, beginning at the 3Arena in February 2020, playing guitar, bouzouki, kaval and pipes. The shows planned for the 2020 US and UK tours were cancelled, with the US dates rescheduled to take place from January to July 2021.
Solo and other projects
He recorded five solo albums: End of the Harvest, Tropical Trad, Fairwater Fionnuisce, Drifting Through The Hazel Woods and Heartland. He wrote and arranged music scores for film, TV and theatre, and his piping is featured on the soundtrack of the films The Irish RM, Eat the Peach, The Secret of Roan Inish and Some Mother's Son. He also participated in many recordings, with a wide range of musicians.
