Concertina
Showing 17–31 of 31 results
-
Mick, Louise & Michelle Mulcahy – Reelin’ in Tradition
Following their outstanding 2005 recording Notes from the Heart on the Cló Iar-Chonnachta label, Mick Mulcahy and his daughters Louise (26) and Michelle (24) are back with a new album, Reelin’ in Tradition.
If their first album was a revelation for the rhythmic and beautiful Mulcahy sound – as well as the virtuosity across several instruments of Michelle and Louise – Reelin’ in Tradition presents a new level of musicianship exploring their collective repertoire.
Mick Mulcahy from Brosna, Co. Kerry, recorded two accordion albums on the Gael-Linn label in 1976 and 1990, and, while he always played music at home, he never had to try to get his children to play as they quickly found their own way to it.
Louise and Michelle both started on tin whistle. At age 10 Louise moved on to the flute and as a teenager began playing uilleann pipes. Mick recalls driving Louise to Dublin from their home in Limerick every month for a year for lessons in Na Píobairí Uilleann. Louise recently guest-presented the TG4 traditional-music show Geantraí.
Michelle started playing the accordion aged six and surprised everyone when she asked for a harp at age ten. She subsequently took up the fiddle, piano and concertina. Michelle was TG4 Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2006 and recently featured on Riverdance composer Bill Whelan’s new album, The Connemara Suite, on a piece for harp and orchestra which he wrote for her.
Mick, Louise and Michelle Mulcahy regularly perform in Ireland the USA and have an unmistakeable, infectious sound. As Martin Hayes writes, ‘I first became familiar with the music of Mick Mulcahy from his first solo recording… I remember that both my father and I felt that his music had a great depth of feeling. That same feeling that first made an impression on me has been handed on to his daughters and continues all the way through this recording.’
Also available from Copperplate: CICD 160 Mick, Louis & Michelle Mulcahy: Notes from the Heart
Press Reviews
The Folk Diary 4.10
The previous album of this family of traditional musicians from County Limerick in 2005 did to an extent sound like Mick and his daughters, but it is clear that here the three have equal status. In fact the album is at its most impressive when the three of them are playing at full pelt; Mick on button accordion, Michelle on concertina, fiddle or piano. Louise on flute, uillean pipes or harp. There is that
close understanding that comes from talented blood relations playing together
and jointly their music really soars.
They have a carefully chosen programme drawing on tunes from all over Ireland and they show their ability to demonstrate region variations in style, particularly when it is the lovely Sliabh Luachra polka style.
The tracks led by individuals don’t have quite the same spark as those featuring all three and the least successful are the harp tracks. It is clear that Louise is a very fine harpist, but the recording here is a bit unbalanced and does not do her justice.
As on their previous album there are two accompanists; Tommy Hayes on bodhrán and bones and Cyril O’Donaghue on bouzouki but the recording balance keeps their contributions very much in the background
to favour the superb melody playing. Vic Smith.
2009 TOP 10 TRAD RELEASES in Ceol Column in The Irish Echo newspaper, New York City
“Reelin’ in Tradition” by Mick, Louise, and Michelle Mulcahy (Clo Iar-Chonnachta CICD 180).
It’s not fair. No three family members should have the abundance of musical talent that Mick, Louise, and Michelle Mulcahy of Abbeyfeale, West Limerick, have. On this, their third album together (“The Mulcahy Family” and “Notes From the Heart” came out in 2000 and 2005, respectively), the Brosna, North Kerry-born Mick Mulcahy on C#/D, B/C, D/D#, C/C#, and D button accordions joins daughter Lucille on uilleann pipes and D and E-flat flutes and daughter Michelle on harp, concertina, fiddle, and piano for a largely familiar repertoire that’s freshly and impressively played. Earle Hitchner
www.liveIreland.com
The Livies 1.1.2010
Instrumental Album of the Year
Reelin’ in Tradition by the Mulcahy family is the easy choice. The album is being handled by the unequalled Alan O’Leary out of Copperplate Distribution in London, and he handles only the best. The Mulcahys won this Award with their last album, and we suspect they will again with their next album! Mick, Michelle and Louise are the real, true deal. Michelle is best known for her harp work, Louise for her uillean pipes and father, Mick for his button box. But, Louise and Michelle seem to play every instrument ever made—and they play them perfectly. Indescribable. We’ll settle for the word, ‘fabulous’ and leave it at that. If you love trad, and you do, why would you not have this album? Every note perfect. Instrumental Album of the Year. Bill Margeson
www.liveireland.com
So, with this rambling in mind, I received the new Mulcahy family album from the best promoter and distributor in the business, Alan O’Leary of Copperplate in London. Michelle Mulcahy, sister Louise and father, Mick have done it again. This time, it is called, Reelin’ in Tradition. Mick holds forth on the accordion, Michelle and Louise on every other instrument in the tradition. Does it do to tell you that Michelle was teaching master classes in the Irish harp at the age of 18? That, at 16, Louise was in the very forefront of uillean pipers? See, for you, after all these years, the hope is that you find a critic or writer in whose taste you trust. Our pal, Jimmy Keane—himself the best piano accordion player in Irish music
£14.99 -
Niamh Ni Charra – From Both Sides
Niamh Ní Charra hails from Killarney, County Kerry in the south west of Ireland. Strongly influenced by the wealth of local Sliabh Luachra musicians, she started playing music at the early age of 4, under the tutelage of well known local musician Nicky McAuliffe. Equally talented on fiddle and concertina, she has won numerous awards, including Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Oireachtas, and Slógadh Náisiúnta and has represented Ireland at folk festivals in Britain and France. Somewhat of a child prodigy, she had support gigs for The Chieftains, and Noel Hill under her belt before she reached her teens.
Despite this rich background, she put aside her music to persue a career in Electronic Engineering. After graduating with honours, Niamh was employed by an Irish software company who regularly sent her on business trips to Boston. Here she was exposed to a continuous flow of Irish musicians (Arcady, Sharon Shannon, Nomos) as well as locally based musicians (Paddy Keenan , Seamus Connolly, Tommy McCarthy).
The draw of the music proved too strong, and Niamh decided to resign from work to persue a career in music. She moved to Cork to take a year-long course in ‘Music, Management, and Sound’ at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, where she graduated with distinctions in every subject – the only student ever to have achieved this feat. The college subsequently awarded her “Musician of the Year”. She swiftly followed this with recordings for Irish radio and television, and performances with Riverdance ‘s european troupe in Europe, Asia and on board the QE2, before joining the U.S. troupe in 1998. Niamh performed with Riverdance from that date until December 2005, touring with them in North America. From Mexico to Vancouver, and Los Angeles to Broadway, New York, Niamh has delighted audiences with her fiery fiddling, fancy footwork and dazzling smiles. More recently she shared her talents in Riverdance’s Irish and Far East productions performing in her native capital as well as the more exotic locations of Tokyo and Taipei among others.
Niamh has returned to Dublin, Ireland where she is working as a freelance musician, regularly gigging accross the city. She also teaches both fiddle and concertina at Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann’s national headquaters, An Cultúrlann in Monkstown, and will shortly be releasing her debut album “Ón Dá Thaobh / From Both Sides”.
It may appear to be a long journey from sessions in Buckley’s bar with the old Kerry greats to world wide spotlight in Riverdance.Niamh Ni Charra makes it seem like a short step across the road.
Real music knows no boundaries, after all, and Niamh demonstrates as uncommonly broad range of musical expression. She is equally at homein the sparse but beautiful An Raibh Tu ag an gCarraig and in full-throttle ensemble pieces such as The Broken Pledge. This breath of musical vision is also evident in her choice ot repertoire. Regondi’s Allegretto No 4 – an extraordinary piece of concertina whimsy – rubs shoulder with Micho Russell’s Jig. The Hungarian tune Dunantuli Friss Csardasok finds a ready partner in The Gravel Walks.)
While most musicians struggle to master one instrument, Niamh possesses as effortless fluency on fiddle and concertina, allowing her to communicate both sides of her musical personality. Scattered throughout this collection are several tunes from her fertile musical imagination. This can be a hazardous strategy inviting comparison with well-established favourites. Niamh carries it off with style; each tune sits comfortably with its neighbours while retaining its individuality.
On Da Thaobh / From Both Sides is a contemporary album with its feet firmly planted in the tradition. The old Kerry masters would be well pleased.
Pat Herring Ahern Jan 2007
Copperplate is very proud to have this title on our roster and to help it achieve its full potential will be supporting this release with a full-scale promotional mail out to media and retail.
Press Reviews
The Irish World
“From Both Sides is a wonderful musical experiment, and the results are more explosive than you could imagine. Just watch this blonde bombshell go…”
Folk Radio UK ” This is master-class musicianship, and legend in the making”…Alex Gallagher
‘There is spectacular work from Niamh Ní Charra, a gorgeous blonde who does things on the fiddle and the concertina, that must be seen and heard to be believed.’ Slidell Sentry, New Orleans 05/2005
‘Charming fiddler Niamh Ní Charra, who seemed to dance a jig while playing one, easily could have been a one-woman show.’
South Bend Tribune, South Bend 05/2005
‘Of special note (was the ) beguiling fiddler / concertinist Niamh Ní Charra, who roamed and skipped the stage as she played.’
Times – Picayune, New Orleans 05/2005
‘Niamh Ní Charra, the sassy electric fiddle and concertina player, was a crowd pleaser.’ Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston 06/2005
‘Kudos were in order for Niamh Ní Charra for her fancy fiddle work.’ Arkansas Times, Little Rock 01/2005
‘Fiddler Niamh Ní Charra, a striking blonde plays while skipping backward.’ Star-Telegram, Grand Prairie 06/2005
‘Blond fiddler phenom!’ Charleston Gazette, Charleston 06/2005
“The company’s indefatigable violinist, Niamh Ni Charra provides some fancy fiddling for the solo passages of this number, (America Wake) as well as for many other exciting moments in the show.” United Press International New York 03/05
‘jaunty fiddle playing’ New York Times 03/05
“The jovial violinist snapped a few of her bow’s strands as she rocked her space-age Stradivarius.” Erie Times 03/05
The Folk Diary
The former child prodigy from Killarney has grown into an outstanding performer on fiddle and concertina, and she is now currently becoming a world-touring superstar. After eight years globe-trotting with the “Riverdance” company, she is currently touring widely with Carlos Nunez.
There is an amazing facility with the wide range of Irish musical styles and rhythms that she tackles on this, her overdue debut album, but you don’t have to listen too hard to hear that she was introduced at a very early age to her wonderful local polka and slide music of Sliabh Luachra.
The album is full of exciting moments but it reaches its zenith in the last track where she plays music from her own county in the company of fellow-Kerryman Brendan Begley. Vic Smith.
TAPLAS The Welsh Folk Magazine 22.11.07 Adolygiadau
£14.99 -
Padraig Rynne – Bye a While
Press Reviews
“This young concertina star from Clare has taken his time before releasing a debut CD, and it’s paid off. Bye A While shows maturity and style as well as virtuoso talent. The foibles of this fiddly instrument are usually apparent even in the hands of a master, but the opening Barbara Needham’s
and the great Christy Barry’s Jig are well past before the concertina is allowed to constrain Pádraig Rynne’s music. Not many players can achieve that. Even if you’ve come across Pádraig before as part of Cían or other groups, you can’t fail to be impressed by his performance here. Molloy’s and The
Palm Tree flow from his fingers. Paddy Fahy’s Jig, learnt from the man himself, fairly dances along. Pádraig’s talent is broad enough to encompass the wonderful bouncy Fusco from Galician band Berroguetto, the hypnotic Plevin by Brittany’s Soig Siberil, and a couple of other glorious oddities.
Amongst tunes by several great composers, he sneaks in a very decent jig of his own which provides the album’s title.
Pádraig has surrounded himself with some great session musicians on this recording. John McSherry plays angelic whistles and demonic pipes, John Jo Kelly beats all kinds of magic out of a goatskin.
Tóla Custy and Mirella Murray add their duo skills to the party, and the foundations are laid by Arty McGlynn and Paul McSherry on guitars, amongst others. The slow reels The Old Bush and The Swallow’s Tail are a definite highlight, with plenty of space for tune and accompaniment. The New
Century Hornpipe and the one that comes after it are a rare treat too, as is the set of reels which ends this album.
Check out Padraig’s own site for more info:www.padraigrynne.com
Irish Music Magazine, March 2006
“I first heard Pádraig Rynne in 1998 and was immediately taken with his vigourous, yet subtle musicianship, and his mastery of his chosen instrument. Pádraig is of open mind musically, and this is reflected with integrity and style, on this long awaited debut album, which includes some of the best musicians in this country today. Enjoy.”Brendan O’Regan
Froots Magazine
“One of the freshest sounds in Irish music..
Claddagh Records.
“This is top class music. Pádraig is a young concertina player from County Clare, but he’s a vastly experienced one. He has gathered a group of similarly experienced friends to make a recording of mostly Irish music, with a sprinkling of Breton and Galician. The friends include Arty McGlynn, Mirella Murray, John Jo Kelly, John McSherry and Donal O’Connor, so you can see the respect with which Pádraig is regarded.”
All Celtic Music.
“Jigs to go! And we do, at a nice pace with clean clear playing. There is a strong supporting line-up on this debut CD and that generally hints at a player respected by his peers and a guy folk just want to play along with.”
Trad Magazine France, French version on: www.tradmagazine.com
“First there was Turas. It was a long time ago, a group of unknown but talented young men, with amongst them an outstanding concertina player… A very young Pádraig Rynne.
A couple of years later, Cian emerged. More modern and catchy and once again the public discovered Pádraig Rynne, concertina player amongst the best of his generation. This was in 1999.
Here we are in 2005 with this youths work of art finished. Like Niall Vallely and Mícheál O’Raghallaigh, two-masters on their subjects, Pádraig Rynne recorded one of the most beautiful CDs on concertina. Long awaited by his fans, the CD is self-produced, recorded with some of his friends
like Tóla Custy, Mirella Murray, John Joe Kelly, and the appearance of John McSherry. Accompanied by Kevin Dorris playing bouzouki, Paul McSherry and Arty McGlynn playing guitar.
If you were an unconditional fan of Cian but frustrated by the intrusion of the keyboard, then in Padráig’s CD the alchemy is a dream come true. The repetoir, principally trad, is highlighted by original arrangement, giving a little tribute to The Bothy Band with The Fisherstreet jig! Padraig
Rynne explores Irish music with a sensitivity and a taste as good as his fabulous variations and whoever had the privilege to be at his concerts, knows what this magician of a Concertina player is able to do… Anne Girard
Custy’s Music, 2005
“October 2005 release of a CD by another of Co. Clare’s young crop of fine young concertina players. Lissycasey-native, Pádraig, has made a huge impact latterly with his band, Cian, and his debut solo album has been eagerly awaited.”
Celtic Grooves, 2006
“A former member of the band Cian, Padraig Rynne is a high-power concertina player whose choice of material and arrangements set him firmly among the modernists. So one shouldn’t be surprised to find quite a few new compositions as well as a smattering of Breton and Galician tunes on the album. Nor will the list of guest musicians, a who’s who of the “fast and the furious” of today, leave any doubt about the approach to music, generally full steam ahead with high-wire virtuosic detours.
Rynne is capable of a mellower groove, as on the “Old Bush” track of slow reels–but one whishes the accompanist would have followed suit with less adventurous harmonies. But it’s all so well played that it’s hard to resist. A guilty pleasure to be sure.**** 4 stars.”
FolkWorld – Issue 32 – 12/2006 Source: www.folkworld.de”Pádraig Rynne from County Clare is one of the finest concertina players in the Irish music scene. He started his career with the band Turas when he was seventeen and joined in 1998 another Irish band, Cían. Since he left Cían in 2001 he has worked with some of the best traditional musicians like John McSherry and At First Light, John Joe Kelly and Flook, Paul Meehan (Lunasa, Karan Casey Band, North Cregg) and fiddle maker Paul Bradley. I saw him live in 2004 with Rogaire Dubh (see my review in issue 28 from April 2004) and I was very pleased to receive his first solo CD “Bye a while” for reviewing.
Pádraig Rynne wrote the title track “Bye a while” and named it after a favourite saying of his father. He has been joined by a bunch of brilliant guest musicians; some of them long time musical partners from the At First Light/Flook connection. The album is composed of nine traditional and
contemporary Irish tunes – jigs, slip-jigs, reels, slow reels, hornpipes – as well as two Breton instrumental tracks.
The first set of jigs “Barbara Needham’s/Christy Barry’s/Bye a while” starts with a brilliant duo with Rynne on concertina and John McSherry on the uilleann pipes. Another great playing together with McSherry on low whistle and pipes can be heard on the beautiful Breton “Dans Loudieg”. But the
concertina also matches very well with Mirella Murray’s piano accordion on the reels “Not Safe with a Razor/The Palm Tree/Jimmy’s Return”. The Galician/Breton set “Fusco/Plevin” is a perfect showcase for Murray’s musical partner Tóla Custy on fiddle and John Joe Kelly on bodhrán. Arty McGlynn and Paul McSherry add their excellent guitar playing throughout the album and thus together with Kevin Dorris on bouzouki and Kelly on bodhrán they guarantee the breathtaking rhythms. I also love Rynne’s playing on the slow reels “The Old Bush/The Swallow’s Tail” and Dónal O’Connor’s keyboards on the jig/slip-jig/reel set “Fisherstreet/The Wingflapper/The Céilíer”.
The CD is a wonderful sample of Irish music brought forward by some of the finest traditional musicians of the Irish music scene.
Adolf “Gorhand” Goirup
Folk Radio UK
“This is a wonderful album from Padraig Rynne in which he has chosen a unique mix of music to show off his great talent with the concertina
Band Details,
Pádraig Rynne, Tóla Custy, and Paul McSherry
Regarded as one of the finest concertina players in Irish music today, Pádraig Rynne was born in Co. Clare. He won five All-Ireland titles as well as three Oireachtas titles and began his recording career with the bands Turas and Cían. More recently, Pádraig has worked and recorded with artists of the calibre of Arty McGlynn, Alan Kelly, John McSherry, John Jo Kelly, At First Light, Flook, and Tamalin. Other recordings include Live in Belfast with Paul Meehan and Paul Bradley, and Pádraig’s first solo album Bye A While which was released in 2005 to great critical acclaim.
Tóla Custy is a highly accomplished fiddle player from a renowned Clare musical family. He recorded his first solo album in 1994 and is now one of Irish music’s busiest performers and composers.Tóla was a founder member of the Cork-based group Calico and he has also played and recorded
with many artists including Cyril O’Donoghue, Mirella Murray, Flook, Alan Kelly, Arty McGlynn, Heidi Talbot, Pauline Scanlon, Gráda and Chara. Tóla’s many compositions can be heard in sessions, albums and performances throughout the Irish music industry.
Paul McSherry hails from West Belfast and began playing guitar at the age of 14. He played and recorded with the Belfast band Commonalty and also with Tamalin who released their debut album Rhythm and Rhyme in 1997. Paul has accompanied on stage and recorded with a wealth of well-
known musicians including Liam O’Flynn, Paddy Keenan, Paddy Glackin, Cathal Hayden, Tommy Peoples, Siobhán Peoples, Michael McGoldrick, Gerry (banjo) O’Connor, Kevin Crawford, Gerry (fiddle) O’Connor and John McSherry as well as singers Tommy Makem and Brian Kennedy.
Guest members include John McSherry on Uileann pipes and John Joe Kelly on Bodhran.
£14.99 -
Providence – A Fig for a Kiss
- The Road to Lisdoonvarna / Carthy’s Reel / The Mermaid of Mullaghmore. (4.16)
- Smuggling the Tin. (3.20)
- The Lurgadaun / Dancing Eyes / Down the Back Lane. (3.44)
- The Curlew Hills / Father Dollard’s. (4.04)
- Will Ye Go to Flanders. (4.02)
- The Arragh Mountains / The Rakes of Westmeath / A Fig for a Kiss. (3.55)
- The Providence / Roscommon Reels/ Fred Finn’s. (4.24)
- Muiris O Coinnleain. (3.10)
- McDonagh’s Air. (4.08)
- The Jolly Young Ploughboy. (3.37)
- In Memory of Coleman / Farewell to London / The Sunny Banks. (3.20)
- Se Fath Mo Bhurtha. (3.42)
- Music in the Glen / Sean sa Cheo. (4.14)
Providence
Providence have just completed a very successful year of gigging which saw them release their second album A Fig for a Kiss, RoRi CD 002, on their own label Rolling River Productions. Their eponymous debut album received great acclaim both in Ireland and abroad. The band’s first tour outside Ireland brought them to the Arctic Circle for St. Patrick’s Day. The band also appeared at some major European festivals during the summer including Dranouter Festival in Belgium and Waidhofen Festival in Austria, the Finnish Irish Folk Festival Tour as well as making numerous appearances around Ireland, Éigse Mrs Crotty, Mary of Dungloe Festival and the world famous Queens Festival in Belfast to mention but a few. Providence were also special guests on the prestigious Iain Anderson Show on BBC Radio Scotland prior to an appearance at the Callander Festival. Since the launch of their second album the band have featured live on the legendary John Creedon Show, RTÉ Radio 1 and on RTÉ TV’s Open House. They also featured on the award-winning series on TG4 Geantraí. Apart from touring Ireland in February the band will also be touring Italy, Germany, UK, Norway and the USA over the coming months.
Providence are:
Joan McDermott from County Wexford is the group’s singer. Joan formerly sang with the famed a cappella group The Fallen Angels which included Frances Black and Máire Bhreathnach among its ranks over the years. Joan toured extensively with the Fallen Angels and appeared at many major festivals including Cambridge Folk Festival, Leysin Rock Festival in Switzerland, and Fairport Convention’s Reunion Festival. She has also performed with Kieran Halpin, Kieran Goss, Steve Cooney, Manus Lunny, Mark Kelly, and Macalla among others.
Mícheál Ó Raghallaigh hails from a musical family in County Meath. He has played concertina and accordion from an early age. Mícheál has taught workshops and has toured all over Europe and the USA. He is also a member of the three-time All-Ireland winning Táin Céilí Band.
John Wynne plays flute and whistle. From Roscommon, he was immersed in the North Connacht flute tradition, playing with such eminent players as Patsy Hanly, Tommy Guihan, and Peter Horan to mention a few. John has won numerous All-Ireland titled for whistle and flute. He plays and teaches at various workshops and festivals around the country.
Clodagh Boylan also comes from a musical family from Glenullin, Co. Derry. She plays with members of her family in the Gleann an Iolair Céilí Band. She has toured England, USA and Australia extensively with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and has also toured Italy with All Set.
Paul Doyle is the band’s bouzouki/guitar player. Formerly he was a member of Arcady which included Frances Black, Sharon Shannon and Cathal Hayden. Paul also played with Martin Hayes, the Máire Bhreathnach Band, and the Seán Keane Band with whom he toured such countries as Poland, Germany, Finland, Sweden. Over the years Paul has also recorded with many of Ireland’s most respected musicians among them Matt Molloy, Paul O’Shaughnessy, Paul McGrattan, Gay McKeon, and Arty McGlynn.
Press Reviews
Pay The Reckoning August 2002
Pay The Reckoning has already waxed lyrical over the solo CD “The Nervous Man”, by Providence’s concertinist and accordionist Micheal O’Raghallaigh. We are no less impressed by this, the second CD by one of Ireland’s most exciting traditional groups, which in addition to O’Raghallaigh comprises Clodagh Boylan (fiddle), John Wynne (flute, low whistles), Joan McDermott (vocals) and Paul Doyle (guitar, bouzouki, backing vocals, bodhran).
The instrumentation invites comparisons to Altan, and indeed if Providence have musical peers, then the Donegal-based outfit are a convenient reference point. (Or at least the early incarnation of the band, when Frankie Kennedy was still with us and the band were wedded to exploring the rich musical traditions of North-West Ulster.) However, although they may be as exciting, as vibrant and as accessible (without ever diluting the music) as the early Altan, Providence plough their own furrow, and a deep and productive furrow at that.
The album’s opening is perfectly judged to raise the hairs on the back of the tradophile’s neck. The opening reel in the set of three (The Road To Lisdoonvarna/Carty’s Reel/The Maid Of Mullaghmore) kicks off with Boylan underpinning O’Raghallaigh’s edgy concertina with an eerie, bittersweet drone. The tension between the two instruments builds to a climax at the end of the first go-round and then, as we knew – or hoped – resolves at the repeat as Boylan picks up the melody with O’Raghallaigh. Wynne takes up the rein for the second tune and then all democracy breaks loose as the band give the final reel (long associated with John Doherty) a lash.
The precise yet characterful playing and intelligent, uncluttered arrangements witnessed in this first set set a standard for the album which Providence never after fail to meet. On reel sets such as “The Providence Reel/Roscommon Reel/Fred Finn’s”, “In Memory of Coleman/Farewell To London/The Sunny Banks” and “Music In The Glen/Sean Sa Cheo”, the same spine-tingling mixture of control and abandon is in evidence. McDermott’s voice is a revelation. Clear as a bell, unforced and untainted by any form of “artfulness”, she is utterly compelling in her renditions of “Muiris O Coinnleain” and “Se Fath Mo Bhuartha”. However her best work is reserved for the English language songs “Smuggling The Tin” and “The Jolly Young Ploughboy”. The former is a great comic song from the Second World War when there was a trade in smuggled tin between Northern Ireland and the Free State and concerns the misadventures of a group of hapless reprobates whose efforts at lawlessness come to nothing. The second, originally from England, McDermott picked up from the singing of the saintly Frank Harte and delivers with great commitment. (Incidentally, are we alone in detecting in the song’s air the embryo of the tune of that American folk classic “Jesse James”?)
Two tune sets in particular are worthy of special mention. The jig set “The Lurgadaun/Dancing Eyes/Down The Back Lane” is instantly gripping and as fine an example of ensemble musicianship as you’re likely to hear. And as for the hornpipe set “The Curlew Hills/Father Dollard’s”, we’re at a loss to describe the inventiveness and sophistication of the band’s mastery of the crooked rhythm. The second tune in this set in particular must surely rank as one of the most definitive of Irish hornpipes.
“A Fig For A Kiss” is the sort of CD which, given a wide audience, will establish Providence at the very forefront of the trad mob! So, do your bit for a great band; via http://go.to/copperplate and order a copy for yourself (and your friends – converted and non-believers alike!). For more information about the band itself, visit http://www.providence-trad.com
The Living Tradition. 01/02
I first came across Providence after hearing John Wynne’s solo flute album. Wanting to hear more, I bought the groups first album and liked it. This is their second, which is usually the trickiest for anybody. Not to worry, this is up to the standard of the previous outing. The only line up change is Clodagh Boylan on fiddle instead of Meabh O’Hare The instrumental balance is slightly different with a wee bit more prominence to Micheal O’Raghallaigh’s concertina this time out, but that’s no harm. They’re not out to make a particular sound, but to show different blends of instruments
Seven dance tracks, one slow air and five songs with nothing you wouldn’t be happy to listen to for a long time. The Road to Lisdoonvarna is mostly played as a jig, odd times as a reel, but Providence play a fling version that works well. The other tunes are a mix of old friends and less widely known tunes.
They’ve even adapted a tune learded from the McDonagh brothers of Ballinafad as a waltz and made a slow air of it. It probably was originally an air, as many of the older players used to play airs in 3:4 time, so they’ve restored it to its rightful place.
I get the feeling that Joan McDermott is more at home with the two songs in Irish than the three in English. Maybe they’re more suited to her singing style, but they do flow more easily. None of the songs are hackneyed though and include some gems. She’s done her homework in the National Archives, and found a fine song in ‘Muiris O’ Coinnleain’, from the Waterford tradition.
Providence have overcome the dreaded ‘second CD’ hazard; we’ll see more of them in future. Mick Furey.
Taplas Dec/Jan 02 (The Welsh Folk Magazine)
As I had predicted, Dublin based Providence’s second album marks a significant advance on their debut. When I reviewed that, I claimed their fiddler was Claire Boylan, Oops! On that CD it was Meabh O’Hare, whom Boylan replaces this time round. Otherwise, the line up is unchanged, with Roscommon flute player John Wynne and concertina player Micheal O’Raghallaigh very much to the fore. I still have reservations about singer Joan McDermott and really dislike the sleeve design. But, don’t let that put you off. This is fine traditional Irish music played with great swing and vitality. Nick Passmore.
Teletext
Some strong Irish albums emerge on the horizon, notably Providence’s A Fig For A Kiss. Top notch instrumentals plus a classy singer in Joan McDermott supplying a light and shade that bears comparison with the immortal Bothy Band. Colin Irwin
Hot Press
The Irish music scene is blessed with an embarrassment of riches where traditional bands are concerned, with outfits such as Sliabh Nulor, Dervish and many more appealing to a variety of constituancies. To that list must now be added the name of Providence. A Fig For A Kiss is their second album, and quite an advance on their debut. A sound, which will be refined even further, is beginning to evolve – a lively interplay between fiddle, flute and double leads, heard to fine effect on tunes sets like, The Road to Lisdoonvarna and The Arragh Mountains, jig set.
There is great internal space created within these tunes, with lead instruments dipping, weaving and walloping where appropraite, and backed up by Paul Doyle’s ever solid guitar work never threatening to overwhelm either the music or the listener.
In every crown there is a jewel and for this listener it’s the voice of Joan McDermott, bell like in its clarity, skittish as a young pup on Smuggling The Tin and solemn as is appropriate on Se Fath mo Bhurtha. With this album, Providence have done themselves a wealth of good, and I’d venture to say that it is one of the finest records of the year so far. Oliver P. Sweeney 10 out of 12
The Examiner
Dark fiddle provides the opening drone for the jaunty concertina driven fling, The Road to Lisdoonvarna. The tune develops nicely, maintaining its shape with the addition of flute and a drop of an octave on the fiddle. This is Providence, more mature and more assured than before.
A Fig for a Kiss is a mix of tunes and songs, a well designed vehicle for the individual and collective talents of Clodagh Boylan, fiddle; Micheal O’Raghallaigh, concertina/ accordion; John Wynne, flute/whistles; Joan McDermott, vocals and Paul Doyle, guitar/ bouzouki/ bodhran. There is a natural interplay on Junior Crehan’s sprightly Lurgadaun Jig, with an increasingly dense sound leading into Dancing Eyes. Precise fiddle opens The Curlew Hills, a second cousin of The Glenbeigh Hornpipe. The bands signature tune, The Providence Reel, is given a special surge of power, as is its follow up, Roscommon Reel. Fred Finn’s has a hint of raggedness that gives the music its fourth dimension. Doyle’s guitar comes to the fore on an air learned from the McDonagh Brothers of Sligo. He may rarely emerge from the background, yet his playing is the glue that holds the Providence sound together. The songs have a good balance. Smuggling The Tin, refers to cross – border trade during the Second World War. Will Ye Go To Flanders is an 18th century Scotish anti war song. The album closes with a live set, Music In The Glen/ Sean sa Cheo, recorded at Dougie McLean’s bar in Taybank, Scotland. Pat Ahern
£14.99 -
Sean O’Driscoll – So There You Go
Biography.
Seán O’Driscoll hails from Blarney, County Cork and comes from a very musical family. His father was a respected accordion player, who along with his three brothers made up the well-known O’Driscoll Ceili band, who played widely throughout County Cork in the days before amplification.
Seán is one of the most versatile musicians playing Irish music today. Although he first gained recognition for his virtuoso banjo playing, he is equally adept on guitar, accordion, bouzouki and mandolin. His natural musical ability extends to composition with many excellent tunes and songs to his credit. Playing strictly by ear, his memory holds a massive repertoire.
Seán’s compositions have been recorded by Laurence Nugent and Kevin Burke among others.
He has played widely in the United States, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. For many years he toured America with noted accordion player and tune collector, Paddy O’Brien, and is a member of the well known band, The Irish Rovers.
The impressive list of other musicians he has played and recorded with include: Larry Egan, Vince Milne, James Keane, Martin Hayes, Larry Nugent, James Kelly, Liz Carroll, Jerry O’Sullivan, Jimmy Crowley, Dave Hennessy, Mick Daly, Peter Ostroushko, and Seán Maguire.
When Seán returned permanently to Cork in 1997, he discovered that all the popular Sunday afternoon sessions that he remembered had disappeared. With his wife, Mary, who plays fiddle, he started a 12.30 session in the Ovens Bar, Cork City. Many local and well-known musicians have helped anchor the tunes over the years, including the sadly missed, Seamus Creagh on fiddle. Some years ago the session migrated to Charlie’s Bar on Union Quay, and now almost sixteen years since that first Ovens session it has become an institution. Starting at 3pm, the session features guest musicians from anywhere and everywhere and continues until 6pm, although sometimes much later if the right combination of musicians, singers and listeners appear. There is never a dull Sunday in Charlie’s!
Also featuring Sean and available from Copperplate: CICD 155 Sean O’Driscoll & Larry Egan: The Kitchen Recordings
The Kitchen Recordings are just that, a refreshing and lively collection of tunes recorded in Seán’s kitchen with the terrific young Wicklow accordion player, Larry Egan.
It began as an experiment, Larry using BC fingering on Seán’s grey C#D Paolo Soprani accordion and Seán using a capo on the banjo. The resulting sound was so bright and fun that they didn’t stop playing until it turned into an album.
On this Cló Iar-Chonnachta CD there’s no cutting and no fixing, giving it the energy and life of a live recording; a feel good album and one that even non trad fans go back to time and time again
Press Reviews
The Living Tradition June/July issue
Sean O’Driscoll is a fine tenor banjo and bouzouki player from Blarney in County Cork. So There You Go is his second solo album, on which he is supported by Larry Egan on accordion; Patrick Egan on concertina; Dave Hennessy on melodeon and Donncha Moynihan and Johnny Neville on guitar.
This excellent album opens with a lively set of polkas played in American ‘honky-tonk’ style. In sharp contrast, on the slow air The Dear Irish Boy, the bouzouki and banjo arrangement is D unusual and hauntingly beautiful.
In addition to traditional jigs, reels and hornpipes, So There You Go features several of Sean’s own compositions. The Comical Bargain/Bare Faced Lies pair of reels and The Twin Cities jig are fine tunes worthy of being played in any good session. The CD concludes with Sean’s lovely Lendrum’s Waltz, on which he plays button accordion, harking back to his ceili band days.
Some years back, I had the great fortune to play in a session with Sean in Friel’s bar, Miltown Malbay. What struck me then was Sean’s uniquely subtle banjo style
£14.99 -
The London Lasses & Pete Quinn – By Night and By Day
And now their fourth album, By Night & By Day (2010), in Brian Rooney’s opinion, ‘their best yet’ pays tribute to their 10-year anniversary with the addition of Elma McElligott (Flute player) and Brona McVittie (Vocalist, harper), who joined Karen Ryan and Elaine Conwell (Fiddlers), Maureen Linane (Accordion player) and Pete Quinn (Pianist) two years ago at the 10th Return to Camden Town Festival. The band is now very pleased that for the first time in its history all members are London-based.
The London Lasses and Pete Quinn have toured Germany with the St Patrick’s Day Celebration Festival, performed the first ever ceilidh in the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms, and played at Ireland’s longest running folk festival, Ballyshannon. They have brought their unique sound to some of the world’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls including Cambridge Folk Festival, the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Glastonbury, Philadelphia Irish Festival and Sidmouth International Festival.
In addition to featuring on the 3-CD box set Beginner’s Guide to Ireland (Nascente, 2005), the band has appeared on UK and Irish TV including Backstage (BBC Choice), Ardán and Geantraí (TG4), plus a memorable turn on EastEnders (BBC1).
Described by Irish Music Magazine as ‘one of the best bands on the scene today’, The London Lasses and Pete Quinn have released three critically acclaimed albums:
* Enchanted Lady (2007) :: ‘a well-balanced helping of first-class Irish music’ Irish Music Magazine Available from Copperplate, click here
* Track Across the Deep (2003) ‘The London Lasses and Pete Quinn’s emergence is vitally important, acknowledging a forgotten voice in Irish music and rebirthing it magnificently’ fRoots. Available from Copperplate, click here
* The London Lasses and Pete Quinn (2000) ‘One of the most remarkable releases of 2000
£14.99 -
Various – Within a Mile of Kilty
Ben Lennon & Seamus Quinn: The Girl Who Broke My Heart / Billy Bocker (reels)
Brian Rooney: Rooney’s Favourites. (jigs)
John Gordon: The Enchanted Lady / The Maids of Castlebar. (reels)
Maurice Lennon: The Lark in the Morning. (jig)
Seamus Quinn: Morrison’s Barndance.
Ben Lennon & Seamus Quinn: The Lonesome Jig / The Tenpenny Bit (jigs)
Charlie Lennon: The Edenderry / The Flowery Fields of Scotland (reels)
Ben Lennon: The Dances at Kinvara. (barndance)
Maurice Lennon: Larry Redican’s / The Dairy Maid (reels)
John Gordon: The Wandering Minstrel / Fasten the Leg in Her / Road to Kesh
Ben Lennon: The Sailor’s Cravat / Lady Gordon (reels)
Seamus Quinn: In Memory of Morrison. (jigs)
Brian Rooney: Lad O’Beirne’s Hornpipe
Charlie Lennon: Up Sligo / The Hearty Boys of Ballymote (jigs)
Press Reviews
The Irish Echo, CEOL COLUMN By Earle Hitchner
Fiddling of the Best Kind!
Within a Mile of Kilty
If the music sounds like it was all recorded yesterday, in a sense it was, for great music both reflects its time and breaks free of it.. .The Irish music heard on this recording relies on heart, respect, memory, talent, tradition, friendship, family, home town and regional pride, and the sheer, unalloyed joy of playing.
What this album does is rare: putting the listener not just within a mile of Kilty, but right beside the chairs of the musicians themselves.
Earle Hitchner
Irish Music Magazine 8.05
And to think it all came from within a mile of Kilty is cause for contemplation, so many treasures from such a small jewel box. Sean Laffey
The Irish Echo,
“This is the pure drop by the bucketful, music to sip and savor, a can’t-miss candidate for my year-end top ten”. Earl Hitchner
The Irish Echo, CEOL COLUMN By Earle Hitchner
Shortly after coming to the Irish Echo in 1991, I decided to compile an annual top 10 list of Irish traditional recordings that would stubbornly resist the trend to place albums in several, often arbitrary categories. I felt then, as I do now, that such category-crammed lists were thinly veiled attempts to pacify as many musicians, publicists, and record labels as possible by spreading acclaim like cheap margarine.
Critics, if they really are critics, should have the courage of their convictions and rank the recordings, no matter how difficult the process and unwieldy the challenge. To me, it’s a matter of put up or shut up, and each year I choose to put up for “Ceol” readers.
Every one of these standout albums from 2005, unflinchingly ranked 1 to 10, belongs in your listening library.
(1) WITHIN A MILE OF KILTY, by Ben, Charlie, and Maurice Lennon, Brian Rooney, Seamus Quinn, and John Gordon (Clo Iar-Chonnachta CICD 159)
With a lineup boasting of those six fiddlers as well as Ciaran Curran, Noel O’Grady, Frank Kilkelly, and Gabriel McArdle as accompanists, you’d expect the result to be impressive. But an all-star crew (paging Patrick Street) doesn’t always create something special, despite the best of intentions. “Within a Mile of Kilty,” for which I wrote an essay gratis, exceeds expectations. Beautifully conceived, crafted, and executed, the music spans four decades and taps into the rich loam of tradition in or near the tiny North Leitrim village of Kiltyclogher, nicknamed Kilty. Four of these musicians–Quinn, Curran, McArdle, and Ben Lennon–collaborated 17 years ago on another superb album, “Dog Big and Dog Little,” which took its title from the local names for two hills between Kiltyclogher and Fermanagh’s Derrygonnelly, where Quinn was born. Hearing that quartet, supplemented by Charlie Lennon on piano, perform “The Girl Who Broke My Heart/Billy Bocker” reels and “The Lonesome Jig/The Tenpenny Bit” recalls the brilliance of the earlier recording. Other tracks showcasing more of the soloing skill of Quinn, Ben and Charlie Lennon, Ben Lennon’s 1977 All-Ireland fiddle champion son Maurice (on viola), Brian Rooney, and John Gordon (1928-2002), who’s heard on two medleys to which Charlie Lennon tastefully added piano, make this CD something very special. Kilty clout reigned supreme in 2005.
[Published on January 25, 2006, in the IRISH ECHO newspaper, New York City. Copyright (c) Earle Hitchner. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of author.]
The Folk Diary
The reviewer notes the record label and sees that the musicians include the Lennon family. His expectations are immediately raised in expectation of the very finest in Irish traditional dance tune playing…. he is not to be disappointed.
Kiltyclogher is where the brothers Ben and Charlie were brought up and the other musicians also have an association with the town. The fourteen tracks here have been drawn from around 40 years of recordings of these outstanding musicians, though the tracks are not dated and it is not possible to detect a difference in sound quality by listening. If the ear does not tell you, then clues like tunes composed by Ed Reavy and titles like “In Memory of Morrison” should tell you that the playing style and repertoire of the early Irish American 78rpm records continue to have an influence on these musicians, whilst it is less with the younger generation of Irish musicians.
This gives the album a slightly old-fashioned feel to it. The playing in entirely delightful. Vic Smith
Kiltyclogher Clout Creates a Superb CD
CEOL Column, The Irish Echo.
By Earle Hitchner
[Published on September 7, 2005, in the IRISH ECHO newspaper, New York City. Copyright (c) Earle Hitchner. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of author.]
Hands down, or actually up, “Within a Mile of Kilty” on Cló Iar-Chonnachta, the Connemara label, is one of the best fiddle and overall Irish traditional recordings issued so far this year.
Rosin-raising talents like Ben, Charlie, and Maurice Lennon, Séamus Quinn, Brian Rooney, and John Gordon (1928-2002), a monumental rediscovery, immediately stamp this CD as something rare and extraordinary. Add in the accompaniment of Altan’s Ciarán Curran on cittern, Beginish’s Noel O’Grady on bouzouki, Frank Kilkelly on guitar, and Gabriel McArdle on concertina, and the recording only gains luster.
It was a privilege for me to write gratis the opening essay for this project, a labor of love for its co-producers, Charlie Lennon and Ben Lennon’s son David. In and near Kilty, short for Kiltyclogher, a village with a population of about 150 in northeast Leitrim near the Fermanagh border, emerged such fine fiddlers as John Quinn (Séamus’s grandfather), John Eddie Gordon (John Gordon’s father), John Timoney, and John McGovern, among many others.
Four musicians on this album–Ben Lennon, Séamus Quinn, Gabriel McArdle, and Ciarán Curran–collaborated 16 years ago on another splendid recording, “Dog Big and Dog Little,” titled after the local names for two hills situated between Kiltyclogher and Derrygonnelly, where Quinn was born. (“Dog Big and Dog Little” is also the name of a reel composed by Charlie Lennon.) Affectionately nicknamed the Dogs, the quartet made quite a stir with their downstairs concert in Morans Hotel during the 1990 Dublin Traditional Music Festival, which I attended.
The music performed in “Within a Mile of Kilty” spans more than four decades, with two tracks of fiddling by John Gordon in 1956 representing the oldest recordings. Charlie Lennon, who tastefully added piano to those two tracks not long ago, calls Gordon “the sweetest and finest player you could ever hear.” Older brother Ben Lennon describes him this way: “If he had gone to America, his major talent would have received instant recognition…. His intonation was perfect, rolls heard as clear as a bell. He had beautifully shaped hands with fingers dancing on the strings.
The bow trebles were crisp, round, and very distinct.” In “The Enchanted Lady/The Maids of Castlebar” reels and “The Wandering Minstrel/Fasten the Leg in Her/Road to Kesh” jigs, Gordon’s bowing is everything Charlie and Ben Lennon claim it was. This Drumcully, Fermanagh-born fiddler’s ornamentation is incisive and inventive at the same time. It is a powerful example of how a prodigious individual style can completely serve the melody–a paradox only the greatest players can achieve.
Gordon never loses command or wavers in interpretation. The notes flow out with seeming ease, yet the ideas teem and bubble beneath, indicating
a fiddler who draws equally on tuneful intelligence and almost preternatural instinct, or what Ben Lennon referred to as playing “from the subconscious.” Whatever inspired and shaped John Gordon’s musical gift, Ben, Charlie, and David Lennon have allowed us to reappreciate it through their careful archival work and caring recollections here and on another CD, “The Humours of Glendart,” that I’ll be reviewing in the near future.
Those Gordon tracks are two highlights among several others in “Within a Mile of Kilty.” In “The Girl Who Broke My Heart/Billy Bocker” reels and “The Lonesome Jig/The Tenpenny Bit,” Ben Lennon, Séamus Quinn, Ciarán Curran, and Gabriel McArdle revive the brilliance of their “Dog Big and Dog Little” days with some riveting ensemble work, abetted by the piano backing of Charlie Lennon. Much to our delight, those four Dogs can learn new tricks, and one can only hope they’ll consider making another full recording together.
If Charlie Lennon were not so celebrated as a piano accompanist, he would be properly touted as one of Ireland’s most adept fiddlers. He doubles on fiddle and piano in two tracks, “The Edenderry/The Flowery Fields of Scotland” reels and “Up Sligo/The Hearty Boys of Ballymote” jigs. Rooted in a marvelous meld of Leitrim, Fermanagh, and Sligo styles, his fiddling comes across with energetic elegance in each medley.
With a measured jaunt, Ben Lennon plays “The Dances at Kinvara” barndance, composed by Ed Reavy and covered by the band Providence on their new CD “III,” which I reviewed last week. It is in Ben Lennon’s rendition of “The Sailor’s Cravat/Lady Gordon” reels, however, where his bowing ability truly shines. He surely provided Clare-born fiddler Séamus Connolly with more than just tips in tailoring, his trade by day, when the latter apprenticed to him in Ireland.
Maurice Lennon, another of Ben’s sons and a founding fiddler with Stocktons Wing, opts not for the violin but the lower-pitched viola in “The Lark in the Morning” jig and “Larry Redican’s/The Dairy Maid” reels. Though the viola is more limited in projection for these traditional dance tunes, Maurice’s playing is tautly expressive and quite moving.
Like Charlie Lennon, Séamus Quinn is a dual threat on fiddle and piano, and like Charlie, he expertly doubles on these instruments for “Strike the Gay Harp/The Legacy” jigs. Quinn also plays fiddle with Charlie’s piano backing in “Morrison’s Barndance.”
From Derragoon, North Leitrim, fiddler Brian Rooney has resided since the 1960s in London, where he remains a fixture in the Big Smoke’s vibrant Irish music scene. In 1999 he released an outstanding solo album, “The Godfather,” that finished second in the Irish Echo’s top ten for that year, and in the two tracks he performs here, “Rooney’s Favourites” jigs and “Lad O’Beirne’s Hornpipe,” another Reavy melody, Rooney clearly hasn’t lost a whit of what he delivered in “The Godfather.”
At the end of my essay for the CD booklet, I wrote, “What this album does is rare: putting listeners not just within a mile of Kilty but right beside the chairs of the musicians themselves.” The album has that effect. It is the pure drop by the bucketful, music to sip and savor, a can’t-miss candidate for my year-end top ten. Earl Hitchner
The Living Tradition 9/10.05
Kilty is short for Kiltyclogher, a village in North Leitrim that is something of a breeding ground for traditional fiddle players, many of whom are captured on this recording. Selected from a collection made by David Lennon over a forty-year period, this CD showcases the fiddling of the late John Gordon, Ben, Charlie, and Maurice Lennon, Brian Rooney, and Seamus Quinn.
Charlie Lennon and Seamus Quinn also contribute some sprightly piano
accompaniments on several tracks, and for a little variety Noel O’Grady (bouzouki), Ciaron Curran (cittern), Gabriel McArdle (concertina) and Frank Kilkelly (guitar) make appearances.
This is an intimate, homely recording; you feel as if you’re sitting in on a particularly fine session. The tunes are mostly jigs and reels with the odd hornpipe and barn dance set, all played at judicious speeds without any pyrotechnics or over the top arrangements.
An unexpected delight is Maurice Lennon’s viola playing. His rendition of ‘Lark in the Morning’ is a revelation. Viola, because of its awkward
size and muted tone, is often relegated to slow tunes. But here he treats it like another fiddle and plays it with all the drive and lilt
characteristic of the style.
The combination of lively, well played tunes; the relaxed, spontaneous ambience, and the stylistic continuity over several decades of North Leitrim fiddle playing paint a vivid portrait of this vibrant tradition.
This album is a real treat for anyone who enjoys music in its natural habitat. E. Bradtke
The Irish Echo
For anyone who loves Irish traditional music in its pure drop state, unvarnished and unflashily virtuosic, there are two new, can’t-miss
albums from Galway’s Cló Iar-Chonnachta label: “Fortune Favours the Merry” by Sligo flutist Peter Horan and Kerry fiddler Gerry Harrington,
with piano accompaniment from Ollie Ross (his father was Wexford’s 1956 All-Ireland senior button accordion champion George Ross), and “Within a Mile of Kilty” by John Gordon, Brian Rooney, Séamus Quinn, and Ben, Charlie, and Maurice Lennon, with backing from Altan’s Ciarán Curran on cittern, Beginish’s Noel O’Grady on bouzouki, Frank Kilkelly on guitar, and Gabriel McArdle on concertina.
“Within a Mile of Kilty” offers rich traditional music from North Leitrim, specifically the area in and around the small village (population: about 150) of Kiltyclogher near the Leitrim-Fermanagh border. I had the pleasure of writing an essay for the CD, which offers some scintillating music by the previously named 10 instrumentalists, including two tracks from the late Cashel-born fiddler John Gordon. Earle HItchner
Irish Music Magazine 8.05
There was a time in Ireland when places where synonymous with families, Murphys, Barrys and Driscolls in Cork, Sullivans in Caherciveen, Staunton’s in Mayo, Sinnot’s in Waterford, you know how it goes. Along with that went townscapes populated by dynastic commercial premises, giving each town a distinctive character, local shop fronts gave an immediate sense of a peopled place.
Now regrettably, modern Ireland has changed, in a chain reaction, national and multi- national companies are gradually dominating Irish high streets and the serious papers are warning of the “cloned town”; where those idiosyncratic shop fronts are being taken over by the centralised brand images of McDonalds, Boots, Extravision, Spar and the like, their corporate facades another step towards the
blandness of the new century.
So where do you go for local flavour, in Italy or France it would be the butchers, but in Ireland it has to be to the established families of musicians who have kept the spirit of the home place alive in their playing.
And that is exactly what we get on this album from Clo lar Chonnachta, a collection of music associated with the Lennon family of North Leitrim and the musical legacy of the area around Kiltyclogher.
It is no museum piece, sure there’s a rich store of old values pulsing through every track, but there’s also bouzouki work and cittern playing from Noel O’Grady and Ciaran Curran, their accompaniment sticks to the lines laid down by generations of piano players, there’s no attempt to “rock and roll it”, no there’s plenty of swing in the music thank you very much. And if it’s piano backing you’re into then no better man than Charlie Lennon to hit the ivories in all the right places.
The liner notes begin with a short essay from Earle Hitchner who builds the context for us, the notes on the individual tunes are rather short, which is a shame because it would be interesting to know when each individual recording was made, especially as John Gordon passed away in 2002, his first track on the album (The Enchanted Lady/The Maids Of Castlebar) has a slightly more modern sound and recorded quality than the second selection (The Wandering Minstrel/ Fasten The Legin On Her/ Road to Kesh).
But maybe they came from the same recording session? There is also a feeling that the tunes don’t need a catalogue date as they are essentially timeless.
With the Lennon family there’s no question that the music would be authentic and on the money, Charlie and Ben Lennon as the senior players are surprisingly not recorded as a duet, the album being essentially of solo fiddlers and their accompanists, with the opening track The Girl Who Broke My Heart/Billy Bocker and track six The Lonesome Jig/The Tenpenny Bit being the big ensemble pieces.
Maurice Lennon’s contribution is to add some strong flavours on the viola, notably on an earthy recording of The Lark in The Morning .
Seamus Quin gives us a jaunty Morrsions’s Barndance and Strike the Gay Harp/The Legacy , both associated with Morrison.
Verdict: its like a walk in a real old Irish town, the names over the doors might seem largely the same but each combination has it’s own distinctive character.
And to think it all came from within a mile of Kilty is cause for contemplation, so many treasures from such a small jewel box.
Sean LaffeKiltyclogher is a small village that lies on the Leitrim/Fermanagh border, with a population of about 150 people. From this area, a unique cluster of traditional Irish fiddle players has emerged over the last 80 years. Within a Mile of Kilty is a collection of recordings by these musicians from the past 40 years, collected by David Lennon.
The musicians on this album are six exceptionally talented fiddle players, and include three members of the well-known Lennon family, Ben, Charlie and Maurice. Ben and Charlie, brothers, were brought up in Kiltyclogher, and their names are known far and wide in traditional music circles.
They have both recorded several albums, and in addition Charlie has received widespread critical acclaim as a composer. Maurice is Ben’s son, and he was a founder member of Stockton’s Wing in 1977.
Seamus Quinn is from Derrygonnelly, in Co. Fermanagh, and both his father and grandfather came from Kiltyclogher. Seamus’ grandfather was a
well-known fiddler and was regarded by many as the most outstanding of his time.
Brian Rooney was born near Kiltyclogher, and his father played fiddle and flute. He emigrated to London in the 1940s, where he became deeply involved in the traditional Irish music scene, playing with the group Sliabh Luachra.
John Gordon was from Cashel, Co. Fermanagh. He was a very well-known musician, and featured in broadcasts on both BBC and RTE Radio.
Sadly, John passed away in 2002.
There is accompaniment on the album from Altan’s Ciaran Curran on cittern, Beginish’s Noel 0′ Grady on bouzouki, Frank Kilkelly on guitar and Gabriel McArdle on concertina.
£14.99
