Philip Suimei Horan studied music at Maynooth University. After graduation, he worked as a flute and recorder teacher and performer. He began learning the shakuhachi in 1996. He spent two years in Japan studying the Tozan-ryu repertoire with Hanaoka Seizan in Hiroshima. On his return to Ireland, he completed a masters degree in ethnomusicology at the University of Limerick. He continued his shakuhachi studies in Europe with Kiku Day and was awarded a Tozan-ryu jun shihan from Jean-François Lagrost. Philip began making shakuhachi in Japan and continues to make both jinashi and jiari shakuhachi. He also makes taegum, bansuri, Irish flutes and Renaissance flutes from bamboo.
He often performs shakuhachi with Dublin-based Japanese musicians who play Irish music, with the Experience Japan Taiko Team and with Charlie Marshall (biwa). Collaborations include performing on the soundtrack of the documentary, A Doctor’s Sword and the Scottish National Theatre production of The Reason I Jump. He performs on bansuri with members of the Indian Classical Music Society of Ireland. He also performs regularly with the Paris based koto player, Etsuko Chida.
Philip has published three score books of Irish music for shakuhachi. Celtic Honkyoku contains transcriptions of ancient songs which have a free rhythm like honkyoku while his second book is a collection of songs. His third collection, published in 2020 is focussed on Irish dance music. He released a CD entitled Shakuhachi Zen, performed on jinashi shakuhachi which he made himself. He is currently working on a collection of original compositions based on the fusion of Irish and Japanese music.