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  Mick Conneely and David Munnelly – ‘Tis what it is

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  Mick Conneely and David Munnelly – ‘Tis what it is

  SKU: 957 Categories: Accordion, Duets, Fiddle

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  Mick, Louise & Michelle Mulcahy – Reelin’ in Tradition

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  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

  SKU: 766 Categories: Accordion, Concertina, Fiddle, Flute, Harp, Trios

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  Joe Derrane, Seamus Connolly John McGann: The Boston Edge

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  Joe Derrane, Seamus Connolly John McGann: The Boston Edge

  Press Reviews

  The Wall Street Journal

  The wearing of the green is upon us, a time to dye for, St. Patrick’s Day. Beer, beef, beans, bread and broth suddenly take on the hue of the

  Emerald Isle, and too often the Irish music heard on March 17 is not much more appetizing or genuine.

  The following albums are an exception. Consider them a three-leaf shamrock of music rooted mainly in the turf of centuries-old tradition.

  This is blarney-free music, the kind that stays green without trying, all year round.

  “The Boston Edge” is a triumph of equal impact. Released late last year by Mapleshade Records, a small, independent label in Maryland, the album is perfectly titled for the razor-sharp music of Boston-area trio Joe Derrane on button accordion, Séamus Connolly on fiddle, and John McGann on guitar and mandolin.

  Derrane, who celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday, is the most talented Irish-style button accordionist America has ever produced. Born of Irish immigrant parents in Boston, he initially recorded from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s, then took a nearly 40-year hiatus from playing the button accordion in public. His performance on May 29, 1994, at an Irish folk festival in Vienna, Va.’s Wolf Trap launched what many regard as the greatest comeback in the history of Irish music, culminating for him in a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2004.

  Renowned for his triplets (three notes played in the time normally taken by two notes) and hornpipes (dance tunes usually in 4/4 time), Derrane sparkles in this inspired collaboration with Connolly, a 10-time All-Ireland fiddle champion, and McGann, a much-in-demand accompanist.

  Never letting virtuosity or velocity overwhelm a melody, they play within the structure of a tune while infusing it with fresh, interpretive gusto.

  It is in the details where this recording soars. The trio’s deftly ornamented playing of such reels as “The Curragh Races/The Skylark/The

  Reconciliation” and “Patsy Touhey’s/The Gooseberry Bush/Reilly’s” represents Irish traditional instrumental music at its most propulsive and soulful. For taste and touch, it’s hard to top “The Boston Edge,” Earle Hitchner

  Irish Music Magazine March 2005

  It’s about time that two of the most respected and masterful traditional musicians in the Boston area got together to record a CD. Seamus Connolly, fiddle, and Joe Derrane, button accordion, share a number of remarkable attributes: both were lauded in their early careers as prodigies of their respective instruments, both are accomplished tunesmiths, whose compositions have passed into the traditional repertoire, and both are centres of the Boston area traditional music community and heroes to a younger generation of musicians and enthusiasts.

  Their musical styles, however, are quite distinct: Seamus Connolly is known for his gorgeous tone and fluid, inventive phrasings; and Joe Derrane’s playing is all clear, crisp precision and brilliant ornamentation. What is perhaps most striking about The Boston Edge is the fact that these two very different approaches are meshed seamlessly, with John McGann’s able and versatile guitar and mandolin accompaniment, into a whole that reflects the respect these musicians have for each other, the love of their music, and the fun they must have had recording these tunes. The tracks include newly-composed tunes, that are rarely heard in sessions, tunes from the Cape Breton tradition, and tunes that are typical of what one might hear at a Boston-area session.

  Each musician is featured in solo pieces, but the real revelation is the freshness and delight the group brings to each of the ensemble sets.

  The Boston Edge is cutting-edge stuff. Let’s hope this is just the first of several outings by this outstanding trio. Sally K Sommers Smith

  Taplas: The Welsh Folk Magazine

  THIS American/Irish trio comprises Joe Derrane on button accordion, fiddler Seamus Connolly and John McGann on guitar and mandolin. The vastly skilful playing reveals the decades of experience these fellows have in the Irish music tradition.

  Although there are only three of them, they produce a very full sound, perhaps partly because this was recorded and mastered live in what sounds like a fairly echoey room. The repertoire is mainly traditional Irish session tunes, arranged in a mainly session-like way.

  This, the old fashioned style of recording, and the accomplished playing makes it sound like a non-crackly version of an old masterpiece. In fact, Derrane featured on 78-rpm recordings during the 1940s and 1950s, so you can easily guess the influence of his style!

  There are a lot of hornpipes – roughly a third of the album consists of them. One features McGann’s solo mandolin track, Whidden’s The Nightlight and Hannah McGann’s – the letter two being his own compositions. Another is the complex, chromatic and downright flash, Petticoat Promenade, written and played by Derrane. This is a great CD for the collection – I just wish there was more of that wonderful mandolin on it. Imogen O’Rourke.

  HOT PRESS

  Following on the heels of button accordion player Joe Derrane’s 2004 National Heritage Fellowship, this rollicking album sees him teaming up with fiddler Séamus Connolly and their fellow Bostonian, guitarist John McGann.

  These three musicians share a bracing, muscular approach and have been playing together long enough to achieve a rare sympathy, easing back or surging forward as a solidly cohesive unit.

  The opening set of reels sets the pace, with McGann occasionally breaking effortlessly into melody flat-picking for a bar or two before returning to chordal accompaniment. McGann’s mandolin solo set, Whiddon’s/The Nightlight/Hannah McGann’s (the latter two of which are McGann originals), is another highlight, as are Connolly’s original slow air Remembering Curly and Derrane’s turn in the spotlight on Miss McLeod’s and his own Petticoat Promenade, featuring a jazzy Hot Club de Paris-style backing from McGann. Sarah McQuaid Nine/Ten

  www.netrhythms.com

  The press handout describes this release thus: “a ‘dream team’ Irish trio plays traditional jigs, reels and airs with passion and originality”, so what gives it the “edge” of the title over other instrumental albums which might be similarly depicted?

  Well, the Boston edge refers to the distinct advantage of the superlative virtuosity of the three musicians who come from the Boston (Mass.) area. Button accordionist Joe, fiddler Séamus and guitarist/mandolinist John first played as a trio onstage at a New York club in 1999, an occasion noted by all who attended as bringing to the scene something worth pursuing further, an outstanding tightness of ensemble allied to brilliant solo work.

  Cementing the musicians’ approach was their mutual deep respect and enjoyment of each other’s music, and once they’d worked together it then seemed the most natural thing to continue the working relationship. After five years of memorable concert performances, at last we have a recording to treasure.

  It highlights their seamless togetherness, boosted by arrangements that are carefully prepared and yet remain flexible enough to allow inspired touches of improvisation or ornamentation or else felicitous swopping-round of the carrying of the melodic line from, say, accordion or fiddle onto guitar, giving surprising and delightful twists to one’s expectations. The skill of these musicians in creatively rethinking well-trodden session staples is stunning, whether they’re tackling sets compiled entirely from Irish sources or mixing in Scottish or Cape Breton tunes to demonstrate the cross-fertilisation and enriching of the different tune traditions.

  Highlights of this album for me are the sparkling opening set, the fiery lead work throughout but especially on the amazingly together fiddle/accordion duet that comprises two-thirds of the set of reels on track 9, also on the Humours Of Lisheen/McMahon’s Jig/The Merry Old Woman set (track 7), the joyous sense of rhythm on the hornpipes (track 10), and, on a smaller canvas track 6, an entire set played solo by John on mandolin, a benchmark of agility and imaginative interpretation the like of which you don’t often encounter on albums of Irish traditional music.

  But on every single track the playing exhibits a rich but vigorous energy that’s absolutely captivating, with a healthily varied interplay between parts that’s born of true understanding between the players. Each set is played at a sensible speed (not rushed through as if to fit onto one side of a 78!), allowing the felicities of melody to emerge through the spring in the step that the players’ keen rhythmic sense

  deploys. And what’s also important, listening to the music on this album rather often brings a smile to the face – a nice touch that (just lend an ear to the delicious swing of track 8 for instance!). It starts off really good, but then just goes on getting better, and you really don’t want it to end!

  The only drawback as far as I can hear, albeit a minor one, is with the recorded sound, which isn’t ideally clear, the guitar sound in particular being somewhat boomy or boxy in the ensemble context – or maybe I’ve heard too many state-of-the-engineer’s-art recordings lately? But the 64 minutes of this seriously enjoyable album just fly by – take it from me! David Kidman

  The Glasgow Herald 11.12.04

  Amid the avalanche of supertalented youngsters who are making traditional music an exciting, hip and gratifyingly youthful artform of the twenty-first century, it’s as well to remember that the older heads still have wisdom and musical examples to share.

  Joe Derrane is now on his second career as a button accordionist; his first began in the 78rpm era and he spent thirty-five years as a jobbing keyboard player.

  This brand new set with fellow Boston residents, fiddler Seamus Connolly and guitarist-mandolinist John McGann, shows the zest, appetite and musical mastery Derrane restored on his return in 1994.

  It’s essentially three musicians playing as one: tightly executed Irish tunes played with heart, self-expression and the richness that comes from long dedication to the music. Rob Adams FOUR STARS

  The Irish Echo. Ceol Column 24.11.04 Give the ‘Edge’ to this Boston trio

  We New Yorkers can get immodest, spoiled, even complacent about the Irish traditional musical riches in our backyard. But when it comes to

  top trad playing, Boston doesn’t have to take a backseat to any other city in America or Ireland.

  For proof, listen to “The Boston Edge,” the CD debut of 2004 National Heritage Fellowship-winning button accordionist Joe Derrane, fiddler

  Séamus Connolly, and guitar-mandolin player John McGann. Residing or working in and around the Boston area, this trio have created something

  altogether rare: an album showing no restraint in individual musical expression yet cohering as a well-rehearsed, mutually sensitive and

  responsive unit.

  In that respect “The Boston Edge” is a significant improvement on “Ireland’s Harvest,” a Mapleshade CD made in 2002 by Derrane, fiddler Frankie Gavin, and pianist Brian McGrath. I picked it as the fourth-best trad album of that year, but with this caveat: “A sonic imbalance among box, fiddle, and piano (the latter two instruments are too high in the mix), some odd choices in tunes (e.g., ‘The Minstrel Boy’), and the personal tangents taken by producer Paul MacDonald in his liner notes prevent this release from placing higher.”

  The seat-of-the-pants, strut-my-stuff approach to playing by Gavin in “Ireland’s Harvest” did generate some heat, but it also resulted in more

  dueling than dueting with Derrane. Technique trumped teamwork and partly undercut both Derrane’s trademark preparation and the trio’s overall effectiveness.

  “The Boston Edge,” in contrast, shows what can happen when three musicians who have been gigging from time to time during the past five years

  put their heads as well as their talents together in the recording studio. It’s obvious that the music has been mapped out with meticulous care but also with enough flexibility to allow inventive flourishes.

  Those qualities combine viscerally right from the album’s opening track, “The Curragh Races/The Skylark/The Reconciliation.” This medley of reels breaks out of the gate like Secretariat: strong, spirited, sure-footed. The synaptic sparks and symmetry between Derrane and Connolly are extraordinary, each feeding off the other’s virtuosity and energy, each performing with, not at, the other.

  Some accompanists in Irish traditional music can lapse into metronomic rigidity or tepid vamping, and for critics with a blinkered appreciation

  of rhythm, an unnoticed accompanist is a good accompanist. John McGann has refused to wear this silly musical straitjacket. He brings plenty of chops and imagination to the CD, laying down a rhythm that can be percussive and driving or finely brushstroked behind Derrane and Connolly.

  From time to time McGann tucks in his own nimbly picked passages of melody, and in “Whiddon’s/The Nightlight/Hannah McGann’s” hornpipes,

  the last two of which he wrote, McGann showcases his exceptional soloing skill on mandolin.

  Backed by McGann on guitar, Derrane offers a jaunty hornpipe-clog pairing, “Miss McLeod’s/Petticoat Promenade,” as his crisply played solo.

  The clog is the button accordionist’s own tune and vividly conjures up a scene of Irish girls in rustling skirts out for a night of dancing at one of the five ballrooms dotting Dudley Street in Roxbury, Mass., during the 1940s and ’50s.

  Accompanied by McGann on guitar, fiddler Séamus Connolly takes a different tack on his solo, “Remembering Curly/The Twins/Mordaunt’s Fancy.”

  The initial slow air, his own composition, is a moving threnody in which Connolly explores, not exploits, honestly felt emotion. It eventually segues

  into a hornpipe that he plays with more joyful verve, and the medley finishes with a capering jig that reveals another side of the master fiddler’s touch.

  Above all, true teamwork gives this album its finely honed edge. “The De’il and the Dirk/The Trip to Windsor/Brumley Brae” reels, “The Humors of Lisheen/McMahon’s/The Merry Old Woman” jigs, and “The Dash to Portobello/McFarley’s/Geegan’s” reels represent three-part instrumental

  playing of the highest order.

  There’s also some breathtakingly tight dueting by Derrane and Connolly throughout “Patsy Touhey’s/The Gooseberry Bush/Reilly’s,” with McGann

  entering on mandolin just for the third reel. A slice of Django-ish guitar swing by McGann provides a tantalizing intro to “The Man From Newry/The Last of the Twins” hornpipes, where Derrane and Connolly interlock impressively in their ornamentation. The fun of playing together similarly comes across in another pair of hornpipes, “Chief O’Neill’s Favorite/The First of June.”

  Not a single moment of weak or mediocre music can be heard on this 14-track recording. “The Boston Edge” is full of tasty tunes, focused

  arrangements, unclichéd thinking, transparent communication, and resplendent playing. These three musicians are a bona fide trio, not an

  armchair-impulse gathering. They thrive in each other’s company, and I can’t imagine any listener not thriving in theirs. In the parlance of

  their beloved Red Sox, this album is a World Series clincher. Earle Hitchner

  PAY THE RECKONING.COM

  Following Mapleshade’s release of accordionist Derrane’s comeback album – Ireland’s Harvest, which featured Frankie Gavin and Brian McGrath – Mapleshade have succeeded in coaxing the National Heritage award winner back into the studio. In the process they’ve assembled yet another

  “dream team”, with Connolly on fiddle and McGann on guitar.

  No mistakes, this is a superb album, every bit as compelling as his comeback. Despite (or perhaps because of!) his advanced years, Derrane hasn’t lost the magic touch that teases impossibly inventive ornaments from his box; at the same time he manages to be incisively precise and crisp in his playing. Connolly, of course, is equally renowned for his inventivess and McGann is a much sought-after accompanist, whose chords and runs anchor the tune, but never dominate his fellow musicians.

  So it’s no surprise that this is an album, which elevates the senses. It brims with good humour and abandon. Three master musicians have chimed in to create a modern masterpiece. Aidan Crossey.Joe Derrane.

  Joe Derrane, born in Boston, Ma. In 1930 to Irish immigrant parents developed a deep and abiding love for the accordion and traditional Irish music from a very early age. Around 1940, he started studying the 10 key melodeon with the great Jerry O

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  Island to Island – Traditional Music from Ireland and Newfoundland

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  Island to Island – Traditional Music from Ireland and Newfoundland

  Press Reviews

  FolkWorld CD Reviews

  Traditional Music from Ireland and Newfoundland off the east coast of Canada. “Talamh an Éisc” (land of the fishes) as the island is known in the Irish language.

  Legend has it that Saint Brendan undertook the voyage across the Atlantic in the 6th century. Seriously recorded Irish settlement began in Newfoundland in the 17th century, mainly from the South-East, the counties Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary. Indeed, by the late 18th century, the Irish were the 2nd largest group in Canada.

  Today about 4 of 30 million Canadians claim Irish ancestry. Placenames, phrases, accents, a traditon of house dancing and lilting clearly indicate the Irish connection. The fiddle is the predominant instrument regarding traditional music, the button accordion is popular as well, usually accompanied by the piano.

  So it’s a meeting of cousins: Bodhran player Paddy Mackey (Black Dog Bodhrans), guitar players Mick Daly (Arcady, Four Men and a Dog, Lee Valley String Band) and Jason Whelan, banjo player Billy Sutton, accordeon players Aidan Coffey (De Dannan) and Graham Wells, fiddlers Colin Carrigan and Séamus Creagh. Concerning the latter, “Island to Island” actually is almost a Séamus Creagh album in disguise. Originally from Westmeath but residing in Cork, Séamus is one of the best exponents of the Sliabh Luachra style. Not many traces here, straightforward jigs and reels prevail.

  Séamus spent five years in Newfoundland (1988-93), during which he taught and played traditional music with a number of St John’s musicians. “Island to Island” is the meeting of two traditions sharing an ample amount of common ground, energy and fun. Walkin’ T:-)M

  The Living Tradition Dec/ Jan 2004

  This is a very interesting CD, bringing together the music of traditions separated by 2000 miles of ocean. The traditions in question being the Irish and that of Newfoundland, are nowhere near that far apart musically. Irish emigration to Newfoundland has a long and fairly unique history. According to the information contained in the notes the first Irish settlers in Newfoundland were from the southeast, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary, many left before the Great Famine.

  Newfoundland’s isolation has meant that until recently the Irish musical influence has been left uncontaminated.

  So most of the music on this CD is very Irish in both sound and structure.

  Some of the musicians, the Irish ones, Seamus Creagh, Aidan Coffey, Mick Daly among others are known to me and

  I am sure to readers of L.T. The Newfoundlanders are new to me.

  However, everyone is a fine musician and on top form. The tunes are a mixture of old and new, bet you couldn’t tell which is which without referring to the notes, from both Ireland and Newfoundland.

  Island to Island is a most enjoyable CD of well played traditional music, some from one of the most well known of traditions, some from a tradition that may sound familiar but is much less well known.

  Island-to-lsland is an unusual project and worthy of support buy it and enjoy the music;

  the academic interest is a bonus. Danny Saunders

  The Irish Music Magazine Aug 2003

  The word, reflections, or alternatively, retrospectives, could be useful subtitles for this new CD, which brings together the music and the musicians of the two Atlantic Islands, Ireland and Newfoundland.

  Anyone who has been a reader of this magazine over the years will know of my personal interest in Talamh an Eisc as Newfoundland in known in the Irish language, so I’ll admit right away a definite pleasure in just seeing the CD appear on my desk. That pleasure was greatly added to by listening to it later.

  The production was made possible not only through the efforts of the musicians and the producers themselves, but also through the backing and support of An Chomhairle Ealaion, (The Arts Council of Ireland) and the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership. Over the past few years, the latter organization has done great work in creating opportunities for business, educational, research, and cultural groups and individuals in Ireland and Newfoundland to promote and develop mutual interests and joint projects. Long may it flourish.

  But to the recording itself; in an introduction to the detailed and very useful CD notes, musician and broadcaster, Peter Browne, observes that listening to the music “suggests a comfortable meeting of cousins who have not seen one another in a while”. He adds, “tunes from both traditions blend easily together and there is a unity of sound that could not be contrived”. Exactly; and what I like also is the pace and the delivery of the music is easy and fluid, no trick o’ the loop stuff, but just letting the music speak for itself, as it were, which allows the listener to identify who is playing what and how.

  Fiddle player, Seamus Creagh spent five years in Newfoundland (1988-93) and while he’ll no doubt acknowledge

  That he gained a lot from his time there; it has to be said also that he has made an enormous contribution to the Newfoundland as a player and teacher. The other Irish musicians with him on this CD are Aidan Coffey, (accordion), and Mick Daly, (guitar). The Newfoundlanders are Graham Wells, (accordion), Billy Sutton, (banjo), Jason Whelan, (bouzouki/ guitar), Colin Carrigan, (fiddle) and Paddy Mackey, (bodhran). Aidan O’Hara.

  The Irish Post 12/7/03

  The culture and music of Newfoundland is remarkedly similar to Ireland — even though 3,000 miles of ocean separates the two areas.

  Indeed, the accent of the average Newfoundlander is so similar to the Irish that there is one celebrated case of an Irish musician being especially irked on arriving in this corner of Canada to discover that people enjoyed mocking him by imitating his accent.

  It was only the hapless musician turned on the local telly that he realised this was the way they spoke in the area.

  The accent of the music is similar — mainly because there has been a Celtic presence in Newfoundland since the 17th century.

  Here in the north east corner of Canada, traditional music has been transplanted some 3000 miles from its Irish roots.

  However, instead of being in anyway watered down by new world influences, if anything the music seems closer to the original form than most you might happen across in Ireland today.

  In Island to Island, the links between the two music cultures is explored by a crack outfit of Irish and Newfie musicians.

  Fiddle and accordion are the two dominant melody instruments, backed by bodhran, bouzouki, guitar and even the odd tenor banjo.

  The fiddling of Seamus Creagh, a Westmeath fiddler, not only employs some of the characteristics of the Midlands (of Ireland) — he also uses some of the Scottish influences of nearby Cape Breton: short bow, lots of that characteristic Scot’s “snap”,

  and with the triplet often being preferred to the more languid Irish roll on the notes.

  The CD is packed full of traditional goodies — a great job is made of two particularly attractive double jigs, Lizzie’s Jig and Sam’s Jig, written by the respected Newfoundland fiddler, Rufus Guinchard (1899 – 1990) — but really the standard throughout is exemplary.

  The only criticism might be that a little light and shade could have crept into proceedings — the odd air or song might well have been a welcome contrast to the wall-to-wall reels and jigs.

  But that’s a small criticism. You’d have to recommend this album to anyone who loves Celtic music.

  Or indeed to anyone who just enjoys a one-night stand with the tradition. Malcolm Rogers. 3/5

  The Irish World 27.6.03

  Two thousand miles of ocean water may separate Newfoundland and Ireland, but the two communities have m ore in common than you would imagine, especially musically.

  This beautiful collection of music represents the meeting of two traditions sharing an amount of common ground. Newfoundland and Ireland have many similarities in both the dance and music tradition and this album demonstrates a “meeting of cousins”. Broadcaster and folklorist, Aidan O’Hara has conducted considerable research into the music and songs of Newfoundland, finding similarities such as the importance of house dances known as “sprees” or “times” during the lengthy winter nights and even a tradition at one time of dancing masters.

  Island to Island album features some of the finest musicians from both islands. Seamus Creagh, Mick Daly abd Aidan Coffey, all highly respected traditional Irish musicians combine with Graham Wells, Billy Sutton, Jason Whelan, Colin Carrigan and Paddy Mackey from the Newfoundland tradition to give us this unique album containing both historical depth and musical dexterity. Xenia Poole.

  The first Irish settlers in Newfoundland were from the South-East – the counties of Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Tipperary and they were unique among Irish emigrants to North America in that they went there before the

  Famine. Placenames, phrases and, most remarkably, accents in Newfoundland indicate strongly the Irish connections and I know of one Irish musician in recent times who, on arrival in St. John’s, felt quite insulted by, as he thought, his own accent being imitated to his face. The truth of the matter only dawned when, after several conversations, he realised that the problem had been caused simply by the similarity of the local accent to his own

  Aidan O’Hara, a broadcaster and folklorist, conducted considerable research into the music and songs of Newfoundland and made many valuable recordings there in the 1970s. He found similarities, such as the importance of house dances known as “sprees” or “times” during the long months of winter isolation, lilting and even a tradition at one time of dancing masters.

  No wonder therefore, that listening to the music played by these Irish and Newfoundland musicians suggests a comfortable meeting of cousins who had not seen one another for a while. Tunes from both traditions blend easily

  together and there is a unity of sound that could not be contrived. All of the musicians playing on this recording are highly skilled and in a perfect position to bring out the essential nature and feeling in the tunes. It is a unique experiment, which succeeds in providing both interesting and enjoyable listening”. Peter Browne RTE MUSIC PRODUCER and uilleann piper.

  The Musicians.

  Seamus Creagh (fiddle) is one of the most respected fiddle players in Ireland; He is originally from Westmeath, but now resides in Cork. his relaxed style has brought him to international prominence, particularly his duets with Jackie Daly and Aidan Coffey. He spent 5 years in Newfoundland (1988-93), during which he taught and played traditional music with a number of St John’s musicians. He made regular appearances at the St John’s Folk Club, and folk festivals. His solo album, Came The Dawn was recorded at Daydeen’s Studios, (St John’s) and also featured Don Walsh, Paddy Mackey and Rob Murphy. The album was released by Ossian (OSSCD90) in 1993. While in St John’s, Seamus was also a member of the band, Tickle Harbour, and appeared on their album, The Brule Boys in Paris. He also worked as a session musician ona number of other Newfoundland albums. Since he has returned to live in Ireland, he has been visited by a constant stream of Newfoundland musicians.

  Mick Daly (guitar) is from Cork City and is a long-time player on the shifting Irish traditional music scene. He has been a member of Arcady, Any Old Time, Four Men & A Dog, Mary Black Band and Lee Valley String Band. He has been

  playing for many years with Seamus and Aidan in traditional sessions in Cork City. As well as being a much sought after

  guitar accompanist, he is also a well-known vocalist and 5 string bluegrass banjo player.

  Aidan Coffey (accordion) is from County Waterford on the south coast of Ireland. His early repertoire was derived from sessions of traditional music during the early 1980’s around west Waterford. He uses the “press and draw” C#/D and D/D#.

  For the last 10 years, he has been playing hand-made French accordions b Salterelle and uses the Salterelle Nuage ( three voice with stoppers and conventional 8- bass) model. He has played and recorded with De DANANN. with Frankie Gavin and Arty McGlynn as a trio, and also with Seamus Creagh. He plays mostly around Cork with Seamus and Mick.

  Graham Wells (accordion) At 22 years of age, Graham has already logged 16 years behind the bellows in his hometown of

  St John’s, Newfoundland. While recent musical stints have seen him on stage with such groups as, The St Pat’s Dancers, Connemara, and A Crowd of Bold Sharemen, he is perhaps most closely associated with the local session scene. Graham

  has played as important role in establishing traditional music sessions in St John’s, and currently hosts two weekly sessions downtown.

  Billy Sutton (banjo) is a multi-instrumentalist, an excellent player on more instruments than we have ink to name. Raised in Harbour Grace, he has performed as a freelance musician throughout Newfoundland and has toured Canada extensively

  with his group, The Fables. In his spare time, Billy has been known to teach, compose and produce albums.

  Jason Whelan (bouzouki, guitar) has been playing music professionally in Newfoundland snce 1989, with such diverse acts as, The Roger Howse Band, Connemara, The Plankerdown Band, and The Punters. He also owns and operates, The Sound Solution Recording Studio. When not playing, he enjoys madrigals and interpretive dance (not necessarily in that order).

  Colin Carragan (fiddle) has been involved in Newfoundland music for most of his life. Over the past decade, he has travelled

  in Quebec, Ontario and Northern England, pursuing music professionally as a solo and group performer, while practising his trade as a violin and mandolin maker. Colin’s commitment to Newfoundland traditional music hinges upon his repertoire of the fiddle tunes of Rufus Ginchard and Emile Benoit, and the dance tunes from around the island

  Paddy Mackey (bodhran) is the brains behind Black Dog Bodhrans, Paddy, is perhaps the longest-standing instrument maker in St John’s, Newfundland. He’s also lent his tipper to many bands in town throughout the years, notably Tickle Harbour and Jeezus Murphy. As his building talents spill over into furniture making and house carpentry, so does his muse occasionally

  draw a 4 stop accordion to his knee.

  SKU: 524 Categories: Accordion, Banjo, Bodhran, Bozouki, Fiddle, Groups, Guitar

  £14.99