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  Garry Walsh – Uncovered

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  Garry Walsh – Uncovered

  Press Reviews

  Folk World Web Site

  Of Cork and Louth parentage, fluter Garry Walsh learnt his music from the Irish exiles around Manchester. He’s now returned to Ireland with a store of tunes which have been forgotten by the auld sod. Names such as Narrow West Street and Under the Tholsel refer to Drogheda landmarks, while Back to Skibbereen and Around Lough Ine are from the other end of the country. All the material here is played in a fine style which manages to be both fluid and rhythmic.

  Among the jigs and reels, Garry has slid in a couple of hornpipes and an enchanting slow air. There are also three Walsh family compositions here. Garry’s grandfather wrote Eileen Fahy’s Reel, a lovely flowing tune. Garry himself wrote The Travelling Lamp, and his daughter wrote Ciara’s Reel. There are so many new tunes here that it’s hard to absorb them all, but my current favourites are Casey’s Jig, deep and meaningful on the Bb flute, and Robbie’s Welcome on the high whistle.

  Garry’s flutes and whistles are joined by Dave Hennessy on button box, Clare Fitzpatrick on fiddle, Johnny Neville on guitars, Colm Murphy on bodhrán, and Ilsa De Ziah on cello. The overall sound is rich and varied, complementing the powerful earthy tones and high floating sweetness from Garry. Uncovered may be a little short on quantity, but its quality is never in doubt. An excellent debut, with more to come I’d say.

  Alex Monaghan

  TAPLAS, The Welsh Folk Magazine Aug / Sept.05 Adolygiadau / Reviews.

  THIS interesting, if rather brief, album of tunes from Co. Cork and Co. Louth is well worth a listen. The unfamiliar material is the main source of interest as, excepting three (one by Walsh’s maternal grandfather, one by himself and one by his daughter), all the tunes are traditional and have been handed down from both sides of his family, seemingly preserved because of the family’s emigration to Manchester, as they appear not to have survived in their region of origin! They certainly deserve to survive and Walsh’s persuasive renditions of them will assure this.

  Brought up in Manchester, but now living in Cork, Walsh is a fine player of flutes and whistles. His playing is assertive, without being strident or flashy, and his approach is well-judged; brisk and rhythmic enough for drive and excitement. But it’s unhurried and retains a sense of leisure and pleasure in the melodies, particularly in the jigs.

  He is ably, and tastefully, supported by Clare Fitzpatrick on fiddle and Dave Hennessy on melodeon and restrained use of bodhran and cello, in addition to solid guitar backing from John Neville.

  My sole reservation about this album is its short duration. Otherwise, highly recommended. Jem Hammond

  www.netrhythms.com.07.05

  Perhaps the biggest clue to the principal intended selling-point of this release lies in its title – the uncovering of a number of tunes which have either never been recorded before or are rare or almost forgotten (many previously existing only within the confines of Garry’s own family). The “old music from Counties Cork and Louth”, learnt from Garry’s parents over the years, indeed. The only exceptions to this are three individual tunes composed by family members, including one by Garry himself. But then again, Garry himself is only just being “uncovered” – ie discovered – as a musician, for this is his debut release.

  Manchester-born but with strong family roots in Counties Louth and Cork, Garry plays flute – and superbly too. But as well as the D flute, he also plays the B-flat and E-flat instruments which are less often heard in the tune repertoire. His playing style is at once fluid and highly rhythmic, and sometimes possesses a wonderful quality of lonesomeness in tone that is often remarked as associated with parts of Counties Clare and Galway.

  Garry’s excellent playing is complemented on this release by some equally excellent musicianship courtesy of Clare Fitzpatrick (fiddle), Dave Hennessy (melodeon), former De Dannan-ite Colm Murphy (bodhrán) and Johnny Neville (guitar). These extra musicians are used variously and sparingly, and each track has a different instrumental complement, making for a stimulating variety of texture and atmosphere.

  Highlights for me were the set of reels (track 8) which team Garry’s D-whistle with Colm’s bodhrán, the hornpipes (track 7) on which Garry’s accompanied by Clare and Dave, and the sets on which Garry plays the B-flat flute (notably the jigs on track 11), where the eerie deep quality of the flute itself is given a beautifully mellow counterpoint by Ilsa De Ziah’s guest cello contribution.

  The final set brings the whole ensemble together on stage for a relaxed pair of reels. It’s great to be able to hear so many new tunes on an album for a change. My only criticism of this fine CD is its criminally short playing time (37 minutes); why oh why?

  SKU: 583 Categories: Bodhran, Fiddle, Flute, Guitar, Melodeon

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  Providence – A Fig for a Kiss

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  Providence – A Fig for a Kiss

  1. The Road to Lisdoonvarna / Carthy’s Reel / The Mermaid of Mullaghmore. (4.16)
  2. Smuggling the Tin. (3.20)
  3. The Lurgadaun / Dancing Eyes / Down the Back Lane. (3.44)
  4. The Curlew Hills / Father Dollard’s. (4.04)
  5. Will Ye Go to Flanders. (4.02)
  6. The Arragh Mountains / The Rakes of Westmeath / A Fig for a Kiss. (3.55)
  7. The Providence / Roscommon Reels/ Fred Finn’s. (4.24)
  8. Muiris O Coinnleain. (3.10)
  9. McDonagh’s Air. (4.08)
  10. The Jolly Young Ploughboy. (3.37)
  11. In Memory of Coleman / Farewell to London / The Sunny Banks. (3.20)
  12. Se Fath Mo Bhurtha. (3.42)
  13. 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

  SKU: 436 Categories: Accordion, Bozouki, Concertina, Flute, Groups, Guitar, Tin Whistle, Vocals Female

  £14.99
• 

  Charlie Lennon – Turning the Tune

  £16.99 Add to cart

  Charlie Lennon – Turning the Tune

  Turning the Tune is a new double-CD of fiddle music from Charlie Lennon which includes one CD of his own compositions, released on the CIC label.

  “One CD looks back, the other looks forward.” That is how Charlie Lennon summed up his new double-CD Turning the Tune.

  Charlie is a veteran of traditional Irish music and a member of the well-known Lennon family from Kiltyclogher, Co. Leitrim, which includes his older brother Ben, also a master fiddler. Charlie has seen many changes within the tradition over the years and fears that it may be in danger of becoming too diluted. “We are moving through a period of constant innovation and unless we keep a sharp eye on where we’ve come from, we’re likely to stray off course,” he says. The challenge, he feels, is to build on the tradition, and that is the underlying principle of Turning the Tune. The first CD looks back to the roots of the tradition and past masters and features trusted old tunes with the notes in the booklet referring to many sources including McKenna, Morrison, Coleman and Killoran. Charlie Lennon presents many of these tunes in a new way while staying within the tradition, demonstrating the possibilities which the tradition offers. The second CD looks forward, and contains all new music composed by Charlie. He says of the compositions: “I find it helpful in writing to recall good memories of people and places and seek to capture these in music. While the genre is primarily Irish traditional, I have moved into other genres at times in order to best paint the picture.” The booklet details the inspiration for each piece, adding a particularly personal touch to the album.

  Other musicians featuring on the album include: Brian McGrath, Frank Kilkelly, Éilís Lennon, Brian Lennon, Johnny and Johnny Óg Connolly, Steve Simmons and Emmet Gill. Turning the Tune contains thirty tracks in total.

  Press Reviews

  The Irish Times 2.11.07

  Leitrim fiddler and prolific composer Charlie Lennon lends some finely wrought tunes to the tradition, and this double CD is a formidable addition to his arsenal.

  With one CD of established tunes accompanied by another brimful of newly minted compatriots, Lennon bestows another gabháil of music to listeners and players hungry to cross new borders.

  Against an occasionally overly robust backdrop of piano, banjo, viola and box, Lennon’s throaty fiddle traces an earthy route around old standards such as James Morrison’s Peach Blossom, as well as recently birthed muzettes (Waltz Joe-Anne), strathspeys and a pair of sublime commemorative pieces: an air/reel in memory of Lennon’s talented sound engineer, Éamonn Goggin, and a reel dedicated to his nephew, John Lennon.

  Delicately perceptive playing from a musician who marries the cerebral and the emotional without ever sacrificing one to the other. Siobhan Long

  The Folk Diary

  Under the booklet section entitled “A Word of Advice” Charlie counsels ‘Don’t just learn the notes for these are only a portion of the tune.

  Think about the different ways of phrasing it.’ He then demonstrates the value of this over 30 tracks and two albums. Thus on the first album,

  his assured fiddling finds new and exciting ways of addressing standards from the Irish repertoire and tunes such as ‘The Liverpool Hornpipe’ and

  ‘The Wind that Shakes the Barley’ have new life breathed into them and his rendition of ‘The Blackbird’ makes the hair stand on its end.

  Charlie doesn’t mention the value of listening to the classic recordings of Irish music, but from his whole approach we can hear his appreciation of these, particularly of the early Irish American 78s.

  On the second album, Charlie plays tunes that he has written himself, but apart from the fact that these obviously sound less familiar than those on

  the first album, nothing else in the approach is changed. These are tunes that totally fit alongside the tradition.

  These albums are as exhilarating as any I have heard in a long time. Vic Smith

  (This album also got my vote in the fRoots Critics/BBC Radio 3 “Album of the Year” poll)

  Irish Music Magazine OCT 07

  To get one CD of fiddler, Charlie Lennon’s playing is cause enough for celebration, but to get two, one of them devoted entirely to his own compositions, is quite something indeed. On the album he also plays viola, piano, harpsichord, bass and keyboards, and he is joined here and there by Brian McGrath (piano & banjo), Frank Kilkelly (guitar), Johnny O’Connolly (accordion), Johnny Connolly (melodeon), Steve Simmons (guitar), Emmet Gill (uilleann pipes), and family members, Eilis Lennon (fiddle), and Brian Lennon (flute).

  The arrangements are nicely varied, but always with justice done to the fiddle player himself, whose sound doesn’t lose out to over-dominant accompaniment. For that we must thank Charlie himself who, along with David Lennon, produced the album, and to Ed Kenehan and the late Eamonn Goggin who were the sound engineers. The CD is dedicated to Eamonn, who was a close friend of Charlie’s.

  In Clo lar-Chonnachta’s (CIC) website notes we are told, “One CD looks back, the other looks forward,” which is how Charlie summed up his new double-CD Turning the Tune. The first CD looks back to the roots of the tradition and past masters and features trusted old tunes with the notes in the booklet referring to many sources including McKenna, Morrison, Coleman and Killoran. Charlie presents many of these tunes in a new way while staying within the tradition, demonstrating the possibilities that the tradition offers. The second CD looks forward, and contains all new music composed by Charlie. He says of the compositions: “I find it helpful in writing to recall good memories of people and places and seek to capture these in music. While the genre is primarily Irish traditional, I have moved into other genres at times in order to best paint the picture.” The CD booklet details the inspiration for each piece, adding a particularly personal touch to the album.

  In his written introduction to the CD, Charlie explains the choice of the album’s title. “Can you turn this one?” Francis John McGovern used to spend time at Charlie’s parents’ house in Co. Leitrim in long winter evenings. Charlie recalls that his father and Francis John would chat by the fire, and during a pause in the conversation, the latter would draw a Clarke’s whistle from his breast pocket and play part of a seldom-heard tune. “That came to me while I was taking the rough off a headstone in the workshop today but I can’t turn it,” he would say. There’d be another long pause while all looked into the fire for inspiration. “Sometimes I would get an inkling of the high part,” Charlie writes, “reach for the fiddle and start to stagger out a phrase or two.” Francis John would exclaim, “That’s it! I have it now.” Then the old man and the boy would take time in fleshing out the tune together. “This was Francis John McGovern’s way of giving encouragement and recognition to any aspiring young musician that he came in contact with,” says Charlie.

  There is a feast of good music and tunes on these two CDs of Charlie’s: reels, jigs, hornpipes, a couple of barn dances, a waltz, an air/reel (dedicated to Eamonn and his parents), and even a strathspey which Charlie composed in memory of his friend, Dick Lett, who promoted Irish and Scottish music workshops when Charlie lived in the north of England. I recommend this album highly. Aidan O’Hara

  www.liveireland.com

  Turning the Tune” is a new double album out from the great musician, Charlie Lennon. In this outing, we have Charlie giving a tour de force on fiddle. This is a beautiful textbook of music at its best, played with total understanding and grace. This is for real trad lovers only. It is required for all aspiring Irish fiddlers, not only for the technique, but the vast array of tunes on offer. In a double album we would have wanted more airs, but you can’t have everything. This is a corker. Rating: Recommended. Bill Margeson

  SKU: 662 Categories: Accordion, Fiddle, Flute, Guitar, Melodeon, Piano

  £16.99
• 

  Ceide – Like A Wild Thing

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  Ceide – Like A Wild Thing

  1. Cis Ni Liathain / The Bucks of Oranmore.
  2. The Dunmore Lasses / Mother’s Reel
  3. Flowers of the Forest.
  4. John the Baptist.
  5. The Woods of Old Limerick / Nora Rooney’s Favourite / Farewell to Tarpey’s
  6. Le Voyage pour L’Irlande. Air
  7. Within a Mile of Dublin / Ballinasloe Fair/ Mickey Finn’s.
  8. Like a Wild Thing.
  9. Gan Ainm / Cuir Barr Ai r/ My Love is in America.
  10. Mrs Kenny’s / Adam & Eve / Babes in the Wood.
  11. If I Had a Boat.
  12. The Pullet that Wants the Cock / The Night Before Larry was Stretched / Islay Rant.

  The musicians are:

  • Brian Lennon – Flute/Whistle/Vocals
  • Tom Doherty – Button Accordion/Melodeon
  • John Mc Hugh – Fiddle
  • Kevin Doherty – Double Bass
  • Declan Askin – Guitar/Vocals

  The group is Céide, (pronounced Kay-ge) named after the 5000 year old Mesolithic hunter/gatherer settlement found in north Mayo called the Céide Fields

  ‘These five lads from various backgrounds first started to play together at a regular Sunday night session in my pub in Westport. It soon became clear that they were developing a distinctive and original sound, combining the best of traditional music with contemporary songs and arrangements. This recording does great justice to their individual and collective talent. It has a very broad appeal and I highly recommend it.’ Matt Molloy

  Press Reviews

  Irish Dancing International Review Sept 03 CD of the Month

  Living away from the “centre of the universe”, you sometimes yearn for the “real drop” when it comes to traditional Irish music. Well, you gotta listen to this album from Ceide as it’s as close as you can get to “real” music.

  It’s a delightful, genuine trad Irish album, the spirit and atmosphere of Mayo exudes from every track, starting with, Cis ni Liathain and The Bucks of Oranmore. On track two, we get Dunmore Lasses, erstwhile glorified by the Chieftains and the man behind the bar himself, Matt Molloy, in their album, “The Long Black Veil”. A lovely treatment to this, speeded up to a spirited reel pace, and again, a tried formula of lovely whistle playing, giving way to accordion, fiddle and guitar, with all five lads cutting in for good measure.

  The title track, Like A Wild Thing is a slow, easy song, composed by local, Tony Reidy. It’s sung by Declan Askin and supported by all the musicians on board. It’s very meaningful and well suited to the album’s title. The CD is a fine mix of jigs, reels and polkas and a Finnish Waltz (sounds French). The musicians are exceptional and, all through the album, a polished unhurried quality pevades every note.

  Oh, and leave the CD running after the last track and you get a delightful blues harmonica number by Declan with all the boys “cutting in” again, a great finish to a splendid album. Donal Lynch

  Pay The Reckoning Web Site Review

  Mayo-based 5-piece, Ceide, are one outfit who won’t have any difficulty in staking their claim on airtime on Pay The Reckoning’s CD carousel.

  The band came together in sessions at Matt Molloy’s pub in Westport and what sparks must have flown between them when they realised they were on the same musical wavelength! Intelligent with a sense of fun; able to hold their enthusiasm in check during the first repeat of a tune yet ready to drop all inhibitions and barnstorm their way to the finish line.

  Ceide combine traditional tunes with contemporary songs. In this regard they are the latest torch-bearers in a musical institution which already has an illustrious history. (Stockton’s Wing and Four Men and a Dog, to name but two groups, have walked a very similar path and to very similar effect.) Ceide’s choice of contemporary material is exemplary. They interpret John Martyn’s “John The Baptist” beautifully, allowing Kevin Doherty an opportunity to strut his funky stuff on double bass while Declan Askin showcases his guitar and vocals. Lyle Lovett’s “If I Had A Boat” also gets a well-deserved, sensitive treatment. However to our ears the stand-out song on the album is local singer/songwriter Tony Reidy’s song “Like A Wild Thing”. The song catches a former farmer, forced into office work as a result of not being able to make a living out of his farm, reflecting bitterly on his current lot. The soul-destroying bereftness which lies at the heart of this song is communicated perfectly in Ceide’s arrangement and the words linger afterwards, nagging away at the listener. “Farewell to the land where I grappled with stone/Farewell to the hills where I was soaked to the bone”.

  And what of the tunes? Well … there are some beltin’ sets here. We’ve already mentioned Kevin Doherty’s double bass playing. It’s remarkable how much it contributes to the tune sets. On the first set of reels, for example, Cis Ni Liathain/The Bucks of Oranmore, the bass is in evidence throughout the first reel, lending the tune a degree of “bottom” rarely encountered in traditional Irish music. At the change, Doherty holds back, allowing Brian Lennon on flute and Declan Askin on guitar to carry the first round of The Bucks Of Oranmore. At the repeat, Doherty rejoins, immediately anchoring the sound once again.

  These lads know their stuff. Tom Doherty (boxes and snare drum) and John McHugh on fiddle haven’t yet been mentioned by name, but their contribution is equally vital. There are a couple of slowish tracks (the Finnish waltz “The Flowers of the Forest” and the air composed by Pierre Bensusan “Le Voyage Pour L’Irlande”) which spotlight the band’s ability to maintain the rigid discipline necessary to put such tunes across.

  Which is not, of course, to deny that discipline is also necessary in successfully playing jigs and reels and so forth. Ceide prove on this album that they are masters at constructing and playing exhilarating tune sets. Here you’ll come across old standards and tunes you might not be familiar with as well as tunes which take you completely by surprise. In the final category is the inclusion of “The Night Before Larry Was Stretched” played as a slip jig in a set in which it is sandwiched between The Pullet That Wants The Cock and The Islay Rant, and benefitting greatly from the eeriness which it borrows from Doherty bowing, rather than plucking, his bass. All the sets are outstanding and are therefore all worthy of a mention. As well as those which already get a namecheck above, then you’ll be excited by “The Dunmore Lasses/Mother’s Reel”, “The Woods Of Old Limerick/Nora Rooney’s Favourite/Farewell To The Tarpeys Of Arderry”, “Within A Mile Of Dublin/Ballinasloe Fair/Mickey Finn’s Favourite”, “Gan Ainm/Cuir Barr Air/My Love Is In America” and “Mrs Kenny’s/Adam And Eve/Babes In The Wood”.

  All things considered, a superb debut by a bundle of accomplished musicians, about whom we expect to hear very big things in the near future. It’s no exaggeration to say that in the space of a few days, this has become one of Pay The Reckoning’s favourite recordings … we’ll be singing its praises at every opportunity! Pay The Reckoning

  Folk Roundabout Review. 01/02

  This is the first release from a new Mayo-based five-piece, and comes highly recommended by Matt Molloy at sessions at whose pub in Westport he first encountered their distinctive collective approach and individual talents. Matt sure has a finely tuned ear, for this album’s appealing blend of traditional tunes and contemporary songs makes for a good listen.

  The opening set defines the mood and pace, with spirited front-line accordion (Tom Doherty) offset by gently rhythmic guitar (Declan Askin) and smooth bowed double-bass (Kevin Doherty), before fiddle (John McHugh) and whistle (Brian Lennon) join the front line for the repeat and the rhythms take off, though maintaining a level of restraint that’s attractively managed.

  The band’s general method of attack remains thoughtful rather than full-tilt, and their ensemble tightness conceals a considerable degree of internal fire, and there’s some very expert shading in the playing that repays many further listens. With an innate and well-considered sense of poise, Céide have a healthy attitude to repertoire too, unafraid to essay a Finnish waltz (and bring in a handbell-choir to boot!) alongside reels and jigs (those on track 5 feature Charlie Lennon’s wonderfully gentle guest piano playing as a bonus). There’s also a hidden track, where a wailing blues harmonica drives the whole train off on holiday!

  The choice of songs (just three out of the twelve tracks) is clearly tailored to suit the winning combination of softness and strength in Declan’s blues-inflected vocal style – Lyle Lovett’s If I Had A Boat, John Martyn’s John The Baptist and the hitherto unfamiliar title track, a fine composition by local Mayo resident Tony Reidy that rather belies the image evoked by that title. I liked this album a lot, and look forward to hearing more of Céide. David Kidman

  Folking.com Web Site

  If none other than Matt Molloy recommends a band, you can rest assured you should be on pretty safe ground. I’m pleased to report that this CD met all expectations and then some. The line-up of flute, accordion, fiddle, guitar and double bass will undoubtedly bring comparisons to Lunasa etc but I personally think these lads have it if only for the fact they have included some vocals.

  Reading from the sleeve notes gives a fair indication of what to look forward to and first impressions are that here the musicians have put a lot of thought into the construction of the set pieces by concentrating not only on the rhythms but the keys they are performed in as well. Years ago De Dannan sussed that if you played tunes in unusual keys such as Eb that the listener’s ear isn’t used to this and therefore makes your performance sound ‘different’ from the crowd. Ceide utilise this to good effect and, take for instance ‘The Bucks Of Oranmore’ in the key of A major this technique gives the tune more character. Off setting the tradition with contemporary songs including John Martyn’s ‘John The Baptist’ definitely sets the band in a field of its own. I look forward to further outings. Pete Fyfe

  Ita Kelly, Irish Music Magazine, Vol 7 No 3. Oct 2001

  ‘The debut release from this Mayo based band is an interesting mix of traditional tunes and contemporary songs. Declan Askin is responsible for those songs and they represent his own influences and personal taste for the work of Lyle Lovett (‘If I had a Boat’) and John Martyn (‘John the Baptist’). The title for the album ‘Like a Wild Thing’ is taken from a song written by Tony Reidy a singer songwriter from the village of Aghagower near Westport. It’s an apt song for this Mayo based group, representative of the Céide area in North West Mayo where infrastructure is nil and the lot of the small farmer is very harsh as depicted in this song. Brian Lennon’s low whistle permeates throughout and Kevin Doherty’s bass is allowed to be heard very naturally. Tom Doherty on melodeon and accordion and John Mc Hugh on fiddle complete the Céide line-up. The perky Mrs. Kenny’s Barndance again has the lovely dropping bass and the Pierre Bensusan tune ‘Le Voyage’ is beautiful, the ‘Flowers of the Forest’ sweet and ‘John the Baptist’ funky and a little Gospel. While this group achieves the full-blooded swing of the tunes sets they also have plenty of insight into music from farther afield than Co. Mayo.

  Very thoughtfully arranged and great reading in the sleeve notes.’ Fintan Vallely, Sunday Tribune

  ‘Slick musicianship and great, solid arrangements.’ Siobhan Long, Irish Times

  ‘Débutantes Céide are a quintet with not just attitude, but finesse by the bucket load.’ Gráinne Ní Ghilín, Foinse

  ‘The song ‘Like a Wild Thing’ written by Tony Reidy from Aghagower, Co. Mayo is extremely powerful.given a heartbreaking rendition by Declan’

  Irish Music Review Web Site

  Back in the days when he had more money than sense, a certain friend of mine would gouge additional grooves into records to ensure, as a consequence, that those tracks he disliked were skipped by the needle. Of course, when he later had more sense than money, he found himself with a heap of unsellable vinyl and regularly being sneered at by Nottingham’s own especially surly brand of second-hand record shop assistants. In subsequent years I sometimes wondered whether the advent of the compact disc player and its programmable facilities had been invented with him in my mind for, certainly, his fingers would be fiddling with the remote control’s buttons to erase certain tracks from this debut album by Céide to create his own preferred version. In an interview in The Journal of Music in Ireland (Vol. 2, No. 2), the Cork singer Jimmy Crowley railed against the encroachment of ‘mid-Atlanticisms’ into Ireland’s music: You see this a lot in younger people, I’m afraid. If someone from Kerry, say, sings an Irish song in an LA accent, that’s the end of my interest. But if it’s a Kentuckian singing in a Kentucky accent, that’s great, of course. I’d criticise some singer/songwriters for these American accents. There’s no worth in this mid-Atlantic stuff, they haven’t been true to their culture, to the land they’re living in. Often too, the songs aren’t saying anything either.

  There are many exceptions (for example, Danú, Altan, Dervish, Providence etc.) where singers have remained true to their roots and, importantly, their voices, but also far too many cases where songs from other genres are interpolated into the band’s repertoire and delivered in the kind of accent that Jimmy despises.

  As such, it is questionable whether Mr. Crowley would be especially enamoured with Céide’s album Like a Wild Thing and, especially, the band’s singer, Declan Askin, who has three outings of variable worth on the album. The first is John Martyn’s John the Baptist from the 1970 album Stormbringer recorded with his wife Beverley. In the Martyns’ hands, the song was an epic with the contrast between the pair’s voices and the subtlety of the arrangement highlighting the latent violence of the relationship depicted in the lyrics. While noting that Scullion also recorded the song in 1979, Céide inform us that ‘To improve on such history is very difficult, if not impossible, but we have tried to give the piece a contemporary groove, while highlighting the song’s unusual lyrics’. Actually, they’ve turned it into a jaunty little singalong with Askin’s mid-Atlantic drone and quasi-rock singer intonations to the fore, thereby losing any of the song’s quirky impact.

  Next up comes the title track, written by a County Mayo man, Tony Reidy, a song about the economic exigencies of a small farmer forced ‘To make a living I must sit at a chair, Sit at a chair and stare at a screen’. This is far more successful and entirely because Declan forsakes any extraneous accents and sings in his own voice.

  Lastly, however, comes a rendition so horrific that the album case should carry a warning sticker, a song interpreted so terribly that it makes Dessie O’Halloran sound like Christy Moore. The song in question is Lyle Lovett’s If I Had a Boat. Céide’s notes state that their ‘arrangement, while deviating quite considerably from the original still shows what a talent Lyle is’. It certainly does, but not in the way the band intended. Askin sings as though he’s auditioning for a biopic of Michael Bolton, albeit while suffering from a hernia and, as a consequence, manages to miss all the ironic humour of Lovett’s lyrics.

  The question is ultimately, of course, why a band based in Mayo should want to sing about Roy Rogers, Trigger, the Lone Ranger and Tonto (as Lyle understandably might) rather than about their own childhoods or locality (wherein lies part of the success of Like a Wild Thing). If this was not bad enough, Céide have employed one of modern musical technology’s most irksome innovations, the hidden track. Islay Rant, though included in the track listings, appears several minutes after its predecessor. The novelty of this device has worn thinner than a cigarette paper. There is one further feature of Céide which may irritate some – the presence of a double bass player, one Kevin Doherty. In the Crowley interview quoted earlier, Jimmy also attacked what he sees as the increasing commercialism of Irish music: One result is that it’s getting bland, and Ireland was never bland. Much of it sounds boring to me, too many not-very-good clones of the Bothy Band.

  To this I would add a new phenomenon, the sub-Lúnasa clone and one that is likely to reappear thanks to the sales of their last album, The Merry Sisters of Fate, and its subsequent critical acclaim in the USA. Like a Wild Thing’s opening track, yet another version of The Bucks of Oranmore, simply sounds too close to Lúnasa for comfort (albeit there’s accordion instead of pipes, but the bass drone gives the game away and elsewhere Céide employ some of Lúnasa’s trademark rhythmic shifts).

  That being said other parts of Like a Wild Thing are at times excellent and others delightful. The best moments feature the flute and low whistles of Brian Lennon, a member of the prominent musical family from Leitrim (he is the son of Ben, the fiddler) and one of the most lyrical players around. Equally, Tom Doherty is no mean accordion and melodeon player and well to the fore on a set of jigs kick-started by The Woods of Old Limerick. Fiddler John McHugh, however, hardly gets a look in until the very last track (not the hidden one!) where his rendition of the slow jig The Pullet that Wants the Cock has all the kind of lugubrious qualities that make you check his photograph for signs of a pension book. Geoff Wallis

  SKU: 437 Categories: Accordion, Bodhran, Fiddle, Flute, Guitar, Tin Whistle, Vocals Male

  £14.99