42 of Ireland's finest traditional musicians recorded by RTE in concert 2003 - 2007

DISC 1 Tracks 1. Catherine McEvoy: The Deer's March / The Sports of Listowel / Trim The Velvet. 2. Mary McNamara & Denis Cahill: The Battle of Aughrim / Joe Bane's Reel 3. Frank Harte & Donal Lunny: The Lambeg Drummer 4. Tony MacMahon: The Wounded Hussar 5. Oisin MacDiarmada: The Bloom of Youth / Big Pat's Reel 6. Martin Hayes, Eoghan O'Sullivan & Steve Cooney: The Blackbird 7. Mairéad & Anna Ni Mhaonaigh: Ceol na Phíobaire (song) 8. Ronan Browne: O'Neill's Lament 9. Artie McGlynn & Nollaig Casey: Wallop The Spot / I Buried My Wife 10. Mick Kinsella & Seamie O'Dowd: Kid on the Mountain / O'Farrell's Welcome to Limerick 11. Cormac Breatnach & Martin Dunlea: The Wicklow Way / Sue's HP / The Last Train 12. Mairéad Ni Dhomhnaill & Donal Lunny: Shíl Mé Fhéin (song) 13. Gerry (Banjo) O'Connor: Niamh's Capers / The Heather Breeze / The Moving Cloud 14. John Flanagan: Róisín Dubh (song). DISC 2 1. Kitty Hayes & Eoin O'Neill: The Boys of Tanderagee / Willie Coleman's / The Maids on the Green 2. Mick O'Brien & Caomhín O'Raghaillaigh: Gan Ainm / Strop The Razor 3. Kevin Crawford & Steve Cooney: Mrs Casey's Hornpipe / John Egan's / Up to Her Neck in Sand 4. Andy Irvine: (song) My Heart's Tonight in Ireland 5. Máirtín O'Connor, Cathal Heyden & Steve Cooney: The Reconciliation / The Plough & The Stars / The Green Mountain 6. Martin Hayes: Fair Haired Molly / The Green Gowned Lass 7. Irla Ó Lionáird: I am Weary of Dying Alone 8. Tony MacMahon & Steve Cooney: The Humours of Drinagh / Trip to Athlone 9. Mick Kinsella, Josephine Marsh & Seamie O'Dowd: Paddy Fahy's / The Yellow Tinker 10. Sean McKiernan: Nora of my Dreams / Caislean an Oir 11. Máire Ni Chéileachair: (song) A Bhride Bheag Chróin 12. Matt Cranitch & Seamus Creagh: The Toormore / The Gneeveguilla / The Gleanntan Frolics 13. Brian McNamara: The Humours of Glin 14. Sean Smyth: The Chapel Bell / Paddy Ryan's Dream 15. Ronan Browne & Peadar O'Loughlin: Jenny's Wedding / The High Road to Galway 16. Jacky Daly: The Newmarket / Tom Billy's Polka 17. Emer Mayock, Cormac Breatnach & Donal Siggins: Nearly Blue / Round Midday     Click on underlined titles to hear MP3 sound samples

We are delighted to announce our release of this fine recording.

MASTERS OF TRADITION
RTE Lyric CD117
Double CD

Forty-two of Ireland's finest traditional musicians, recorded by RTE Lyric in Bantry House,West Cork Ireland. 2003-2007

The MASTERS OF TRADITION is a double CD featuring many of the country’s finest musicians. Martin Hayes, Denis Cahill, Donal Lunny, Frank Harte, Tony McMahon, Andy Irvine, Mary McNamara, Peadar O’Loughlin . . . it is impossible to list all of the greats on this one collection from RTÉ lyric fm.

The force exerted by the past on the present – a definition of the word ‘tradition’ taken from Webster’s dictionary and, in the context of traditional music, a powerful and pithy analysis of the strength and potency of this magnificent art.

The Masters of Tradition Festival is all about acknowledging this force: the music is allowed to declare itself purely and proudly in the glorious acoustic of the Library in Bantry House, West Cork. Since the Festival began it has been recorded for broadcast by RTÉ lyric fm and thirty-one of the highlights from the festival have been selected for the MASTERS OF TRADITION double CD.

Two of the musicians featured on this collection are no longer with us – Frank Harte and Kitty Hayes – and it is truly an honour to be able to include them in this collection, an outstanding document of some nights of extraordinary music-making.

 

Press Reviews

www.liveireland.com
Masters of Tradition is also out on RTE, and is also a double album. Here we have, again, 31 glorious tunes. Try to think of who is NOT on this album. Martin Hayes, Frank Harte, Ronan Browne, Nollaig Casey, Maighread ni Dhomnaill, Gerry O’Connor---why did I start this listing? Stop! Stop!! Everybody is here. These songs and tunes are from the vaults of RTE, and have not been heard for years. Magic. This is sort of one stop shopping for the modern trad fan. Epic. Look, we can’t cover all this effectively here. Just know that this album exists out there, and should be a must have if you love the music. It is something you will play and play. Don’t lollygag. Get it!! As usual in so many of these cases in the last few years, we have to thank pal, Alan O’Leary of Copperplate in London for hipping us to both of these RTE albums. Alan never misses. If he recommends it, we grab it and run. So should you. Rating: Four Harps Bill Margeson

Irish Music Magazine July 09
This is a compilation of 42 tracks recorded in Bantry House, Co Cork, between 2003 and 2007. It's a fine and very representative illustration of the many facets of the music, as played for an audience of listeners - not always easy to obtain.
Lyric is still mainly a classical/jazz radio station, and at the very least the punters here would be expected to care about the music and how it's played.
Outstanding is the track with Frank Harte singing Mickey McConnell's song about The Lambeg Drummer. Tony MacMahon has a stalwart version of The Wounded Hussar. With some of the livelier tunes, you'd almost miss the buzz of the talk. But the compensation is that you really get to hear the softer instruments, like Cormac Breathnach's low whistle. There are two tracks featuring the singing of Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, and Gerry (Banjo) O'Connor shows why he's justly famed for fabulous flat-picking - and good humour.
There's a fine and unusual version of Roisin Dubh; more's the pity that they don't follow the lead of CIo lar-Chonnachta and supply the words. The same is true for the fine macaronic song from larla Ó Lionaird. Other songs, like Andy Irivine's My Heart's Tonight in Ireland stand on their own merits - the tradition is alive and it will absorb and winnow what each generation brings.
And yet it keeps its head: Steve Cooney sets a lovely pace with Tony Mac Mahon on The Humours of Drinagh - classic steady jig-time. Jackie Daly, too, provides classic polka time.
No offence to the many I haven't mentioned. They all have a secure place in what will probably be a milestone - or rather a pair -in the progress of our music as a cultured and enjoyable listening activity. John Brophy

www.LiveIreland.com
Another incredible collection from RTE. Masters of Tradition covers 42 of Ireland’s great musicians recorded in concert between 2003 and 2007. This album is a directory of the who’s who. We also have what is one of the last recordings or appearances by the legendary, Frank Harte singing The Lambeg Drummer. The whole thing is magic and a must have for your collection. Bill Margeson


The Wall Street Journal
"MASTERS OF TRADITION": Between 2003 and 2007 in the Library of Bantry House, West Cork, RTE Lyric FM recorded the 31 concert selections found on this double-CD release.
Hearing the late Frank Harte sing "The Lambeg Drummer" and the late Kitty Hayes play concertina on the jigs "Boys of Tanderagee/Willie Coleman's/The Maids on the Green" jigs is just one of many pleasures here. Earle Hitchner