Mike Rafferty (1926–2011) was an Irish traditional flute player. Rafferty was born on 26 September 1926 and grew up on a farm in Ballinakill, Co. Galway, Ireland. He learned music mainly from his father, Tom "Barrel" Rafferty who played the flute and uilleann pipes. Rafferty emigrated to the United States in 1949 and settled in northern New Jersey. He became known in the Irish traditional music scene in greater New York City and appeared at an extensive array of concerts and festivals all over US including the Smithsonian Institution’s in 1976, and toured with the Green Fields of America.