Fiddle
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The London Lasses & Pete Quinn
Press Reviews
‘One of the most remarkable releases of 2000,’ The Rough Guide to Irish Music
‘There is a genuine sense of personality and a magnetic attraction to the music that enables them to produce performances laced with skill, sincerity and a lack of pretension,’ John O’Regan, fRoots
‘a sheer delight, a beauty of a collection
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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
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The London Lasses & Pete Quinn – Enchanted Lady
“The London Lasses are back in bouncing form with even more excitement, enthusiasm and energy than ever before-if that is possible. Their latest offering presents well chosen material which juxtaposes old with new, slow with racy, song with dance tunes from dreamy to overdrive.
The blend of instruments (and there are many) is a delight to the ear creating an authentic traditional sound with a freshness that attracts and holds the attention of the listener. A tasty use of backing as a strong support to musician and singer completes the sumptuous meal.
For those who follow the group this latest CD will be a welcome addition to their collection. To the newcomer
I simply say buy it now, taste it and discover just how good it is”. Charlie Lennon
The pride of London return with their finest to date. Another rousing set of tunes finely played and a careful selection of songs all delivered with the usual panash and polish. Music to rouse the dullest of hearts!
Copperplate is very proud to have this title on our roster
Also available from Copperplate Mail Order:
LoLa001 London Lasses & Pete Quinn
LoLa 002 London Lasses & Pete Quinn: LoLa002 Track Across The Deep
LoLa003 Kathleen Sullivan: LoLa003: Born On St Patrick’s Day
Further details on their own web site http://www.londonlasses.net/index.html
Press Reviews
provides a well-balanced helping of first-class Irish music’ Alex Monaghan, Irish Music Magazine
‘The sort of album to make anyone fall in love with Irish music’ David Thorpe, The Irish Post
‘They play with much finesse without missing the trick of generating the informality and excitement of pub sessions’ Colin Randall, Daily Telegraph
‘There’s a grace and subtlety in their playing that few bands could match’ Sarah McQuaid, Hotpress (Ireland)
‘guaranteed to keep you riveted for the entire 55mins’ www.irelandxposed.com
‘Kathleen O’Sullivan provides the lovely, warm vocals on all four songs…whilst the beautiful instrumental backings support the vocals well’ Dave Beeby, The Living Tradition
‘Third album from the Irish six-piece who play traditional music beautifully, unadulterated by global influence or genre crossover’
BBC Radio 2, Folk & Acoustic website
‘They bring fresh life and assured musicianship to the immortal Irish tradition’ New Classics website
‘Enchanted ladies and gentlemen you will be, once this album reaches your weary little ears’ Shelley Marsden, The Irish World
The Living Tradition
You have to be careful if you do a Google search for London Lasses, so I was glad for both the promotional material provided (always helpful to a reviewer) and the search has a filter on it. London Lasses and Pete Quinn are back with their third album (I think) of basically good quality Irish Traditional music mixing the old with newer material most arranged by the band themselves. It is these almost spontaneous-but carefully worked out- arrangements, which brings the Enchanted Lady to life, and gives a freshness to the sound.
Let’s deal with the songs first. Kathleen O’Sullivan provides the lovely, warm vocals on all four songs, telling the story clearly, allowing the meaning to come out, whilst the beautiful instrumental backings support the vocals well. Excellent sleeve notes provide the listener with that extra bit of information as well as the words. Incidentally this is an issue, which will have to be addressed before downloading becomes popular with this reviewer as I like to know the sort of info provided in this good quality CD booklet. But back to the Enchanted Lady.
I think Maid from Maraclune shows the group’s talents off at their best, and you can tell Kathleen enjoys singing this, which is, interestingly, in waltz time. My Ballingarry Lady is also a waltz written by John Whelan for his mother and is again handled well by the band but my favourite tune is the slow air Rocking the Cradle – it really does work as I felt myself drifting away before being brought back to earth by the set of reels which follow. Fiddles mix with accordion, banjo takes over from flute and behind it all is the keyboards-never obtrusive though- of Pete Quinn.
Good clear production, engineering and recording also help to make this an enjoyable album. They will be launching the CD at this year’s Ceiliuradh an Earraigh in Gurteen, Co Sligo in May. There seems to be no immediate tour- it’s not on the website – so if you want to hear The London Lasses and Pete Quinn then this CD might be your only chance at the moment, unless they are on Eastenders again. I recommend you take your chance.
Dave Beeby
The Irish World
You might already be big fans of The London Lasses. You may even have seen Karen Ryan and company letting their hair down at The Return to Camden festival, or witnessed their rip-roaring set at Glastonbury.
If so, you won’t need any convincing about the musical prowess of their third album, ‘Enchanted Lady’. If you’ve been living in Outer Mongolia for the past six years and don’t know of them, then you’ll have to trust me on this one.
One of the most talented, vital traditional groups to come out of the London-Irish music revival, The London Lasses are what they say they are, five women from London, all with Irish roots. Pete Quinn is the sole male in the lineup, providing sturdy and versatile piano backing. As their latest offering confirms, The London Lasses still offer their straight-down-the-line traditional music, no messing around.
But they stand out from the crowd because they play it with a modern touch.
Their vibrancy of arrangement and the pure sonic energy of twin fiddles, flute and accordion bring old tunes back to life, set off beautifully by the graceful, restrained vocals of Kathleen O’Sullivan (hear Cailin Rua). Enchanted ladies and gentlemen you will be, once this album reaches your weary little ears. Shelley Marsden
The Telegraph
When need or ambition inspired the Irish to find new worlds, they took their music with them. As a consequence, wherever folk music is played and sung in the English-speaking world, recent emigrants or descendants of old ones are to be found holding the fiddles, singing the maudlin ballads and belting out the choruses.
The five-strong London Lasses, all but one of Irish background but not birth, belong to this tradition. Like the best of the transatlantic variety, exemplified by the exceptional Cherish the Ladies, they have built a reputation for standards of musicianship that sit nobly alongside those of the homespun bands.
With a token male, Pete Quinn, of Liverpool Irish stock, on piano, keyboards and the ubiquitous goatskin drum or bodhrán, they play with much finesse without missing the trick of generating the informality and excitement of pub sessions.
Dotted among the reels, hornpipes and jigs are songs by Kathleen O’Sullivan with a texture that occasionally recalls the Bothy Band’s Triona Ni Dhomhnaill. Irish music in London has moved on some way from the impassioned but raw, scratchy days of Paddy in the Smoke. Colin Randall
Irish Music Magazine, July 07
Officially, this album is the third album by The London Lasses And Pete Quinn: maybe they needed a token man, or they couldn’t find a female keyboards player, but either way this group of five Irish emigrées is backed by a boy who’s among the best in the business. Now we’ve sorted that out, I’ll just call them the London Lasses. In four songs and eight instrumentals, Enchanted Lady provides a well-balanced helping of first-class Irish music. Lyrical reels like The Barr Road and Green Grow the Rushes (from the Burns song), cracking jigs like The Coming of Spring and Peadar Ó Ríada’s Spóirt, together with a sprinkling of slower tunes: all are delivered with depth and feeling. The gutsy flute of Dee Havlin lashes into The Humours of Castlefin, Maureen Linane’s button box bleeds and sighs for My Ballingarry Lady and Rocking the Cradle, and twin fiddling strikes sparks from The Walls of Liscarroll as Karen Ryan and Elaine Conwell ply their bows. A touch of banjo, a touch of whistle, and that man on the ivories supplies the foundation for a fabulous sound.
Kathleen O’Sullivan kicks her heels for eight tracks, but gives us a good mix of songs in her four solo spots. Cailín Rua is an old chestnut tastily roasted here. The Green Fields of Canada is also well known, and gets a mammoth six-minute arrangement from The London Lasses. The Mickey Dam and The Maid from Maraclune are less familiar, but Kathleen’s renditions make them memorable. Her voice is full of fighting passion on The Mickey Dam, and there’s a full showband arrangement to back it up. The air from The Rocks of Bawn visits Maraclune for the usual sad story of untrue love, from which Kathleen wrings every ounce of pathos. The title track is not a song, nor another reference to Pete Quinn as I first thought, but a striking brash and bubbly reel which nicely sums up this album. Alex Monaghan
New Classics
Since the release of their debut album in 2000, this acclaimed Irish six-piece have appeared at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls (Cambridge Folk Festival, Glastonbury, Philadelphia Irish Festival). Widely regarded as one of the finest acts on the traditional Irish/folk scene, the group plays a mostly traditional repertoire that is reflected in this new album. Enchanted Lady features a host of lively reels, bursting with life, along with intricately arranged jigs and captivating songs. Highlights include Cailín Rua (beautifully sung by Kathleen O’Sullivan), the plaintive Green Fields Of Canada, the irresistible Hornpipe And Reels (Lad O’beirne’s Hornpipe; Joe Madden’s; Mick O’connor’s Choice), and the wistful Slow Air: Rocking The Cradle (featuring Maureen Linane). The London Lasses are five London-based women of Irish heritage: Karen Ryan (fiddle, whistle, mandola, banjo), Elaine Conwell (fiddle), Dee Havlin (flute, whistle), Maureen Linane (accordion), Kathleen O’Sullivan (vocal). Together with pianist Pete Quinn they bring fresh life and assured musicianship to the immortal Irish tradition. Look out too for the group’s previous albums: LONDON LASSES & PETE QUINN (LL001) and TRACK ACROSS THE DEEP (LL002).
The Folk Diary
Here is another very fine collection from this very fine bunch of second generation London Irish. They offer great variety amongst their seven sets
of tunes and four songs. The tunes are played in a fine ensemble manner with the fiddle of Elaine Conwell and the punchy box playing of Maureen Linane to the fore and a nice sense of pace in whatever rhythm they chose – and the firm adventurous piano accompaniments from Pete are a great asset here. There is a waltz, there are hornpipes, jigs and reels and a polka to round off one of the songs which brings us to the inspiring voice of Kathleen O’Sullivan. Her four songs also show versatility as she switches from the light and humorous “Mickey Dam” to one of the most demanding of Irish songs in English, “The Green Fields of Canada”. Her singing is fine and balanced with excellent diction and the emotional range to do justice to these very different pieces. Vic Smith
Ireland Exposed
The London Lasses are presisely as their name suggests, five women of Irish heritage living in London. The group, Karen Ryan (fiddle, whistle), Elaine Conwell (fiddle), Dee Havlin (flute, whistle), Maureen Linane (accordion), Kathleen OíSullivan (vocal) and Pete Quinn (piano) have compiled this traditional album. Thankfullythough it does not consist of the same tunes you so often hear on the majority of trad albums.
Their sound will not appeal to everyone but nomatter who you are you will appreciate the extraordinary energy and vitality of the album. There is an incrediblearray of sounds from the reel, to a slow air and on to a gig. Its variety is guaranteed to keep you rivetted for the entire 55mins.
Each member of the group gets a chance to shine and shine they do. This will leave you indeed enchanted! It is thoroughly entertaining and a fresh approachto an old fashioned style of music.
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The London Lasses & Pete Quinn – Track across the Deep
Press Reviews
East Bay Express Sept 2003
The American audience is not generally aware of London’s importance in the development of Irish music over the last half century, though it’s taken for granted in Ireland. Pubs such as The Favourite in Finsbury Park, or The White Hart on Fulham Broadway held regular sessions in the 60s and 70s, and when the revival took off, London based youngsters like Kevin Burke were ready to make their own contributions.
The London Irish music scene remains vital, as Track Across the Deep demonstrates. Fiddlers Karen Ryan and Elaine Conwell seem to have absorbed something of every major Irish regional tradition- from the octave doubling of County Kerry to the virtuosic embellishment of the Sligo masters
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Tim Dennehy – The Blue Green Door
Press Reviews
‘The land and lore of his native Kerry and adopted County Clare predominate in songs that are powerfully rendered and intensely felt’. (Irish Times)
‘Tim Dennehy’s rendering of any song would bring a chilling hush to the wildest session. A gem for song collectors everywhere’. (Irish Music)
‘Here is a voice as velvety as the best Irish stout. He produces some moments of breathtaking beauty, especially in his magnificent version of, Be Still as you are Beautiful ‘. (Rock N Reel)
‘There are few better singers than Tim Dennehy in Ireland today- a fine singer of splendid songs’. (Folk Roots)
‘These thoughtful and reflective songs help to contribute to an interesting and varied offering from one of the best traditional singer-songwriters of the present time’. (The Living Tradition)
‘Whether you are interested in learning some new songs or just want to hear one of the finest singers in Ireland today, don’t miss Farewell to Miltown Malbay ‘. (Dirty Linen)
Net Rhythms Web Site March 2003
For the reviewer who’s also a keen explorer, coming across any performer for the first time can be as worthwhile as welcome, and listening to Irish singer Tim’s four (to date) CDs has been one of the most pleasurable experiences of the past few months for me – so much so, in fact, that review of his latest, The Blue Green Door, has been delayed while I’ve continued to make fresh discoveries in Tim’s previous three releases.
The album’s rather wordy subtitle (Traditional And Original Songs Of Love, Loss And Longing, volume 3) is a most accurate depiction of its contents, in fact, though the apparent matter-of-fact driness of this erudite tag shouldn’t put you off, for this (like its predecessors) turns out to be a most appealing and stimulating collection of material, much of it completely new to me – indeed, I think it’s probably the best of the four.
Essentially a Kerryman, Tim was born Ballinskelligs; he lived in Dublin for a while, then in 1989 relocated to Co. Clare, releasing his first (then cassette) album, A Thimbleful Of Song. Tim’s one of those singers of quiet accomplishment, with a smooth tone and enthralling yet subtle delivery and a relaxed, though perennially sensitive approach to phrasing – a description which might well bring to mind Seán Keane
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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
