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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO IRISH FOLK
Ireland has been blessed with a vibrant tradition of folk music and song. The song tradition has articulated social concerns of the day and the
musical repertoire includes rousing dance tunes and plaintive airs. The Irish folk song and musical repertoire constantly invigorates itself by
allowing the absorption of outside influences to the bedrock of the established traditional canon. This has increased its viability and ensured its
survival. It’s a real music – alive, living, breathing and relevant.
While Irish folk and traditional music never needed a revival like those in Britain and the US during the late 50s and 60s, there were times when
folk music was often in danger of being forgotten or rendered obsolete as a term of social expression. It was also in danger of being swept under
the carpet, being treated as an anachronism of a bygone era. This was particularly obvious during the 1950s and 60s and even at the cusp of the
70s. Irish traditional music and its folk counterpart needed eras and waves of reinvigoration to make it relevant and applicable to new generations
of listeners.
The rescue process was instigated by organisations like The Irish Folklore Commission (Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann), the national broadcaster
Raidió Teilifís Éireann and the BBC. It was carried out by a group of hard working and passionate collectors and musicians who traversed the
country recording and transcribing the music and songs from local people. While the music thrived in pockets of the country like urban and
rural areas in counties Galway, Kerry, Donegal and Clare, it was not until the establishment of Radio Eireann on January 1st, 1926, and the work of
collectors such as Séamus Ennis, Séan Mac Réamoinn, Kevin Danaher, Kuno Meyer and the pioneering staff of the Irish Folklore Commission, that
what was left of the musical and vocal canon was committed to tape, paper and archived. Transmission of songs and tunes was previously handed
down orally as in the bealoideas or oral tradition. The first published collection of Irish song, “Amhráin Mhuighe Seóla”, emerged in 1921 although
music collectors such as George Petrie, Cornelius Lyons and Chicago Police Chief Francis O’Neill had also documented their findings in print.
By the mid 1930s and early 40s a cultural drought hit a World War II Ireland, a period referred to as “The Emergency”. Liam Clancy referred to this
period as “The National Inferiority Complex” and musically, while the operatic and music hall eras reigned, the emergence of singers like Delia
Murphy brought a unique distillation of traditional balladry and music hall. Colm O’Lochlainn, printer, publisher and song collector, issued his
first collection, “Irish Street Ballads”, in 1939 in Dublin. This was a pivotal collection. The introduction of his second book, “More Irish Street Ballads”
(1965), noticed “the wind of change blowing through society and how new social innovations would propagate the spread of folk song as a
means of social discussion” (O’Lochlainn 1965). Both “Irish Street Ballads” and James N. Healy’s “Ballads from the Pubs of Ireland” became staple
diets for song repertoire, while Breandan Breathnach’s “Ceol Rince na hEireann” (Dance Music of Ireland) and Francis O’Neill’s collection “O’Neill’s
Music of Ireland” unleashed a cache of new and rarely heard tunes. Séamus Ennis and Peter Kennedy, with the help of Alan Lomax, compiled
important sound libraries for the BBC, which formed the backbone of radio programmes like “As I Roved Out” (presented by Séamus Ennis) and
Peter Kennedy’s monumental “Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland” collection.
In the North of Ireland many of the major songs from the Northern tradition, collected by Sam Henry in Ulster at the turn of the century, were
published in “Songs of the People”. Later collectors like Hugh Shields, Séamus Ennis, Sean O’Boyle and Peter Kennedy recorded source singers like
Eddie Butcher (1900-1980) of Magilligan, Co. Derry and more. Their songs were notated and collected in volumes such as “Shamrock Rose and Thistle”
(Leader Records) and Peter Kennedy’s collection “Folk Songs of Britain and Ireland”. A host of local northern singers were featured on “Ulster’s Flowery
Vale” issued on BBC Records and “Songs from Ulster” (O’Boyle). Virginia Stephens, Sean O’Boyle and Peter Kennedy frequently collected in Ulster,
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raking the rich eloquence of the local songs and building a library for the BBC and Folkways Records. David Hammond also collected many of the
local Belfast industrial ballads and humorous songs which he recorded for Tradition Records, and the repertoire was added to by artists like
The McPeake Family from Belfast and Sarah Makem from Keady, Co. Armagh.
During the late 1950s and early 60s in London migrant musicians met weekly in pubs like The Bedford Arms and The Favourite, and their sessions
celebrated the music and provided a link with home. In America, the ballroom circuit, populated by bands lead by Paddy Noonan and Mickey
Carton, popularised a form of Irish American music strongly romanticised and more sophisticated than the raw, rollicking sounds of The Flanagan
Brothers, Dan Sullivan’s Shamrock Band, and John McGettigan’s Irish Minstrels, who earlier had played pubs and bars throughout New York. Exiled
Sligo and Donegal fiddlers Michael Coleman, Paddy Killoran, James Morrison and Hugh Gillespie were remembered through their recordings
which filtered through from America on 78s and later, retrospective LPs on Topic and Shanachie Records.
The instrumental tradition was encouraged through the auspices of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, formed in 1953. Their setting up of the annual
Fleadh Cheoils proved a lifeline and magnetic attraction for younger audiences. The Fleadhs operated on a folk festival ethos and were the
Glastonbury and WOMADs of their day. Comhaltas also set up regional branches to teach and preserve the music while establishing an office and
magazine with archive recordings of older musicians. Other groups, set up to preserve the music and establish community, included Na Píobairí
Uilleann based in Henrietta Street, Dublin, offering opportunities for networking for piping enthusiasts through the annual countrywide Tionól
Ceoil’s RTÉ Radio and television. They also propagated the spread of the music through radio programmes hosted by broadcasters like Ciáran Mac
Mathúna, whose “Ceolta Tire” provided exposure to local musicians. Live programmes like “The Ballad Maker’s Saturday Night” and “As Zosimus
Said” gave national recognition to early 60s ballad group talent. Accordionist Tony McMahon presented pioneering shows “Bring Down the Lamp”
and “Ag Déanamh Ceoil” (Making Music) where traditional musicians, singers and dancers were recorded in studio settings.
In Ireland popular acceptance for folk songs came through the 60s ballad boom. This period spawned groups like the Clancy Brothers, Dubliners,
Johnstons, and Sweeney’s Men. The Clancy Brothers migrated from Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Waterford to New York where, working as actors, they met
Tommy Makem from Keady, Co. Armagh and shared each others’ familial song repertoire. They found national exposure on “The Ed Sullivan Show”
and a contract with Columbia Records. With their rousing chorus singing and their white Aran sweaters The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
became a national sensation.
The seeds for the 60s ballad boom were sown in the backroom of Paddy O’Donoghue’s Pub in Merrion Row, Dublin with the formation of
The Dubliners. Luke Kelly had frequented the English clubs mentored by Ewan McColl. Ronnie Drew, an actor and singer, Barney McKenna an
accomplished banjo player and Ciarán Bourke, an agricultural student and Gaelic scholar formed the influential group for which no road map to
success was necessary. Influential musicians such as Johnny Moynihan, who introduced the Greek bouzouki to Irish music, and Andy Irvine, an
actor of English parentage influenced by Woody Guthrie – both would figure in pivotal groups such as Sweeney’s Men, Planxty and De Dannan.
O’Donoghue’s Pub became a hub as did the Mugs Gig and The Tradition Club and Slattery’s in Cable Street, the 95 Club in Harcourt Street, the
Foxrock Folk Club in Foxrock and the Neptune Rowing Club in Islandbridge. Prominent ballad venues in Dublin included The Abbey Tavern in
Howth, The Old Shieling in Raheny and The Embankment in Tallaght. The purer drops of traditional sounds and American folk and blues resounded
in The 95 Club, Coffee Kitchen and Universal Folk Club in Parnell Square, and Slattery’s in Cable St. The acid folk coterie met in The Orphanage
in Molesworth Street and later, Orphanage 2 in Sandymount, an influential club run by “Orphan Annie” (Patricia Mohan) where rock and folk
musicians jammed and mixed freely, devoid of categorisation.
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The Clancy Brothers’ success inspired a whole generation of musicians to sing ballads and a plethora of new groups emerged throughout Ireland
like The Wolfe Tones; The Johnstons; Emmet Spiceland, a trio of Donal Lunny and the Byrne brothers Mick and Brian, whose fashionable appearance
made them pin ups but who possessed intricate harmonies and stylistic accomplishment; Sweeney’s Men, an ambitious trio whose mix of Irish,
English and American folk styles paved the way for Planxty, Steeleye Span and The Pogues.
The arrival of Seán Ó Riada as a composer and arranger in the classical field with his ambitious Ceoltóirí Chualann, which later spawned
The Chieftains, signalled another cultural revolution in Irish music, mixing the freedom of traditional music in an orchestrated setting. The céilí
band – a dance band playing traditional music – also held huge popularity in the 60s showband boom with over 200 céilí bands regularly playing
rural parish halls and ballrooms.
The winds of 70s progressive rock yielded a folk/rock crosspollination which expressed itself through bands like Horslips, Mellow Candle,
The Woods Band and Dr. Strangely Strange. The acoustic strains of the music of Planxty, Clannad, MacMurrough and Monroe signified a new
rebirth and rediscovery of traditional melodies in contemporary rock guises. Horslips took the idea of making theatrical rock-based presentations
of Irish legends like “The Tain” and “The Book of Invasions”, while Planxty played inspirational acoustic music for a new generation and Clannad
inserted a jazz-based improvisational bent on a Gaelic-centred repertoire. The Bothy Band played traditional music with an electric excitement
and Galway’s De Dannan harked to the raw pub session vibe. Moving Hearts mixed political protest songs with a vibrant cross of traditional music,
jazz and contemporary rock.
In the 80s, Germany and mainland Europe provided a touring circuit as did their American and English migrant spaces. In the war-torn North of Ireland
music provided a balm and social centre with a busy circle of folk clubs such as Belfast’s Sunflower Folk Club, curated by an Englishman, the late
Geoff Hardin, and flourishing local talents like Jane Cassidy, Gerry Creen, Cran and Craobh Rua. Dublin also had a rebirth of new folk bands and clubs,
and a revival of set dancing led by Terry Moylan and Connie Ryan brought new legions of dancers and new bands like Killera. Devenish and Blasket
Sound played to eager crowds at venues like The Meeting Place and An Béal Bocht. In the late 80s two exciting new bands, Dervish and Altan,
specialised in music from their local areas of Sligo and Donegal. In London the winds of Punk, Rock and World Music created a form of Irish music,
part Clancy Brothers’ buoyancy, part Punk Rock adrenalin with Worldly eclecticism – and birthed The Pogues and Alias Ron Kavana.
More recently new waves of musicians and singers have come on board, respecting the work of past masters and digging out their future
role as innovators. American singer/songwriter Chuck Brodsky once commented on Irish audiences that they “had such respect for the song”
(Brodsky 2000). This is particularly true of the openness to telling and receiving stories within the ballad format. These songs provide social
commentary and contents for listening and transmission to eager audiences. In many cases the historical mirror was provided by collections
of Colm O’Lochlainn or Sam Henry, whose epic tome “Songs of the People” opened doors to rich collections of Northern source singers. During
the 70s Bobby Hanvey, Sean Corcoran and Gabriel Fitzmaurice unearthed new local singers at their backdoors who otherwise would have been
forgotten, and the colossus that was Frank Harte of Chapelizod, Dublin, was both a social historian and a provider of a store of traditional songs.
The migrant experience took musicians to the US and the UK, where in marginalised communities music became a connection between them
and home. Many settled into work and domestic life in their new worlds and played locally. Now in many cases their sons and daughters carry on
their musical legacy through bands and solo careers and the music continues. Musical families like The Rowsomes, Hayes, Dunnes, Keenans, Kellys,
Fureys and McPeakes had fathers/children playing together while later the next generations played and recorded in England. The Doonans in
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Co. Durham and the Hurleys in Leeds saw familial musical histories generate new sounds and songs. In America, familial music making flourished
in New York, Boston, Chicago and other cities. In New York, players like Martin Mulvahill, Mattie Connolly, Mike Rafferty and more promoted the
music through their daughters and sons.
In Ireland today, the musical development is well starred and articulately sound. The music flourishes with younger players quickly emerging
through college programmes such as the BA and MA in ‘Irish Music and Dance’ offered by the ‘Irish World Academy of Music and Dance’
based at the University of Limerick. The tradition of songwriting which carries itself on through generations and finds willing audiences and
artists like John Spillane, Luka Bloom and Johnny Duhan to name but three, carry on that tradition of expression and newer talents carry this
tradition one step further.
Ethnic forms in the guise of world music and its assimilation into an Irish world music came in the influential cult band Midnight Well, a 1970s
group who recorded one album. Later composers like Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and also bands like Kíla and The Afro Celt Sound System played a
further experimental mix of Irish and ethno forms from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Irish/Indian fusions existed with the band Khanda, and
Peadar Ó Riada’s use of a sitar with Triúr strengthen the links between Irish and worldwide ethnic forms and styles.
The worldwide appreciation for Irish folk music spread through mainstream exposure. However the groundwork was done for decades previously.
Initially the popularity of Irish folk music was felt at home and in the UK, while in Europe the pioneering work of The Dubliners, Fureys and Sands
Family, and the Irish Folk Festival tour initiated by Carsten Linde (now curated by Petr Pandula) satisfied the German demand for Irish music.
Mainstream American appreciation came through the success of “Riverdance” and Clannad’s “Theme from Harry’s Game”. More recently the
Japanese and Oriental markets have opened to Irish music with plentiful supply of venues and appreciative and curious audiences eager to learn,
assimilate and discover the riches of a unique folk tradition.
“The Ultimate Guide to Irish Folk” captures a vivid snapshot of the current state of Irish Folk Music. It includes influential artists who have dominated the
scene since the 60s and a number of up-and-coming talents whose music again respects the tradition but possesses the excitement of creative discovery.
While writing this introduction and compiling this album, the awareness of witnessing an evolutionary period is inescapable. Irish folk music is
constantly renewing itself, absorbing contemporary influences while retaining its roots contact. This continuing evolution and development will
continue to fascinate and delight for decades to come.
© John O’Regan, November 2013. All rights reserved.
Acknowledgements:
While working on this project a number of people proved exemplary: Julia Beyer of ARC Music, whose support and encouragement proved invaluable.
Thanks to all the artists whose recordings are included here, Nicholas Carolan, and the Irish Traditional Music Archive, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann,
the record company personnel, who, when approached, proved amenable and supportive. Thanks also to Dr. Mick Moloney, Sean Laffey, Shay Healey,
Kathleen O’Regan, Steve Hammonds and Tom O’Sullivan.
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CD 1
1. LUKE KELLY: Raglan Road
Luke Kelly (17 Nov. 1940–30 Jan. 1984) is famed for his association with The Dubliners. Luke Kelly had an intermittent solo career on the folk
circuit in the UK, played Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar and released one solo single Thank You for the Days in 1973. An acolyte of Ewan McColl,
he held strong socialist leanings. He linked up with Ronnie Drew in 1961 and formed The Dubliners with Ciarán Bourke and Barney McKenna
and re-joined after a brief period working solo. He stayed with The Dubliners until his tragic death from complications pertaining to a brain
tumour in January 1984.
Contact: www.thedubliners.org/, http://itsthedubliners.com/
– Raglan Road, sung to the traditional air Fáinne Geal an Lae (Dawning of the Day), is a story of unrequited love written by Irish poet Patrick
Kavanagh (1904–1967), set in Raglan Road in the Dublin suburb of Donnybrook. It is based on Kavanagh’s unrequited love for Dr. Hilda Moriarty
who later married Irish Minister for Health, Donogh O’Malley. It was first published as a poem in The Irish Press on 3 October 1946 under the title
Dark Haired Miriam Ran Away. Kavanagh gave Raglan Road to Luke Kelly in The Baily Pub in Dublin in 1971.
From The Definitive Collection – Luke Kelly
Composed by Kavanagh, arr. Kelly / Sheahan; Published by Tolka Music / Marino Music
License courtesy of Baycourt Ltd.
2. LÚNASA: Morning Nightcap / The Malbay Shuffle
Lúnasa, named after the Gaelic word for September, emerged on the Irish scene in 1997 and comprised of Seán Smyth from Straide, Co. Mayo,
John McSherry from Belfast, Manchester-born Michael McGoldrick, joined initially by Australian guitarist Steve Cooney and Scottish bassist Trevor
Hutchinson and was described by fRoots as ‘An Irish Music Dream Team’. However, on their return new members Kevin Crawford and guitarist
Donagh Hennessey joined and piper Cillian Vallely completed the line-up. Working as an instrumental outfit playing music of Irish, Breton and
Scottish origin they have toured internationally and recorded several albums. Their latest release saw them collaborating with the RTÉ Concert
Orchestra in a live album recorded at Dublin’s National Concert Hall. Currently the line-up stands as Seán Smyth, Cillian Vallely, Kevin Crawford,
Trevor Hutchinson and Ed Boyd.
Contact: http://www.lunasa.ie/
– Morning Nightcap from the album The Merry Sisters of Fate is a set of three reels. McLeod’s Farewell was composed by Perthshire born Donald
Shaw, accordionist and founder of the Scottish Folk / Fusion band Capercaillie. Morning Nightcap is a traditional Irish tune. The Malbay Shuffle was
composed by Cork-born uilleann piper / composer Diarmaid Moynihan, who has toured with Calico, Manannan and Craobh Rua and recorded
with Calico, Manannan and in a duo with his brother, guitarist Donncha Moynihan.
From the Green Linnet CD: Lúnasa ‘The Merry Sisters of Fate’/ GL-CD-1213
Tracks 1-2 trad., arr. Lúnasa / track 3 arr. Diarmaid Moynihan
Published by SGO Music Publishing Ltd. / PRS / Diarmaid Moynihan / MCPS
© 2001 Green Linnet. Issued under license from Compass Records Group.
www.compassrecords.com
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3. KEVIN BURKE & MÍCHEÁL O’DOMHNAILL: Lord Franklin
Mícheál O’Domhnaill (1951–2006) from Kells, Co. Meath, was born into a Gaelic singing family – his aunt Rosie na n’Amhran (Rosie of the songs)
being well known in Donegal. With his sisters Tríona and Maighréad they formed Skara Brae and released one album, Skara Brae for Gael-Linn in
1971. He also worked for the School of Scottish Studies as a song collector in the Western Isles of Scotland and as a broadcaster with RTÉ Radio,
presenting The Long Note. He formed Monroe with Mick Hanly and recorded Celtic Folkweave for Polydor in 1974. He joined The Bothy Band and
formed a duo with fiddler Kevin Burke. He moved to the US and was involved with bands Nightnoise and Relativity. Returning to Ireland in the
mid-90s, he formed a duo with Paddy Glackin, recording Reprise / Athchuairt in 1997. He died tragically in Dublin on Saturday July 8th, aged 54,
from a suspected heart attack after falling down the stairs in his home. A commemorative compilation CD Keep ‘er Lit, subtitled The Songs and
Music of Mícheál O’Domhnaill, was released in 2007 and a TV documentary, The Bothy Boy, made by Clean Slate Productions, was shown on TG4 in
October 2007.
Kevin Burke was born in Hackney, West London, to an Irish family with Sligo connections. He played with The Glenside Ceilidh Band in London on
their 1967 album for Transatlantic Records and later formed Lazy Reel with Chris Andretti and Tom Madden. Going to the US he played on Arlo
Guthrie’s Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys, and made his first solo album Sweeney’s Dream in 1973. He later recorded with Christy Moore on Whatever
Tickles Your Fancy and toured with him before joining The Bothy Band. Since moving to the US he has played in a duo with Mícheál O’Domhnaill,
played solo and with bands like Patrick Street and his own Open House. He now lives in Seattle where he works solo and plays in a duo with
Portland, Oregon guitarist Cal Scott.
Contact: www.compassrecords.com
– Lord John Franklin (16 April 1786–11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who disappeared on his last expedition,
attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic. The icebound ships were abandoned and the entire
crew perished from starvation, hypothermia, tuberculosis, lead poisoning and scurvy. The song, also known as Lady Franklin’s Lament, is based on
a dream his wife had on her husband’s disappearance. The tune for the song is used for the Irish patriotic song The Croppy Boy and it was used by
Bob Dylan as the basis for his song Bob Dylan’s Dream recorded in 1963. American singer/songwriter David Wilcox used the tune for his lyric Jamie’s
Secret on his 1989 album How Did You Find Me Here? on A&M Records.
From the Mulligan Records CD: Kevin Burke & Mícheál O’Domhnaill – ‘Promenade’/ LUN-CD-3028
Trad., arr. Burke / O’Domhnaill; published by Mulligan Music / MCPS
© 1979 Mulligan Records. Issued under license from Compass Records Group.
www.compassrecords.com
4. RÉALTA: The Galtee / The Black Haired Lass
/ The Stoney Steps (Reels)
Réalta is a trio based in Belfast that has a lively, exciting and respectful approach to Irish traditional music. Reared on a staple diet of The Bothy
Band, Planxty and other such classics, they capture the timeless aspects of the tradition and gently infuse them with elements from other musical
genres. Conor Lamb and Aaron O’Hagan perform on uilleann pipes, whistles and bodhrán, while Deirdre Galway handles guitar, bouzouki and
vocals. They have played with a variety of established bands such as Craobh Rua and others.
Contact: www.realtamusic.com
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– The Galtee / The Black Haired Lass / The Stoney Steps (Reels)
This set of reels is taken from Réalta’s debut album Open the Door for Three
released in late 2012. The Galtee Reel is a variant of Julia Delaney and was
learned from the flute playing of Brendan Mulholland at a session in Glenavy,
Co. Antrim. Dublin born piper Pat Mitchell included it in his collection The
Dance Music of Willie Clancy and it was also recorded by English banjo players
Liam Farrell and Donal Maguire. The Black Haired Lass, another popular
session reel, is a Donegal tune from the playing of Johnny Doherty of Ardara,
Co. Donegal. Uillean piper Tiernan Dincken gave Conor Lamb The Stoney Steps
at a Tionól (pipers gathering) in Belfast. The Stoney Steps, a well-known Clare
tune, was recorded by The Kilfenora Céilí Band in 1974 on their Transatlantic
Records album Kilfenora Céilí Band (Transatlantic TRA 283) and Matt Molloy
recorded it as the title track of his 1989 album on Claddagh Records.
RÉALTA
Trad., arr. by Conor Lamb / Deirdre Galway / Aaron O’Hagan
Produced and published by Conor Lamb / Deirdre Galway / Aaron O’Hagan
Licensed from Conor Lamb
5. ANDY IRVINE & PAUL BRADY: Plains of Kildare
Andy Irvine, born on 14 June 1942 in London to a Scottish father and Irish mother, was initially an actor and continued acting until 1964.
He learned to play classical guitar and joined the skiffle wave at about 15 and got interested in Woody Guthrie and traditional music in general.
In 1962 he entered the Dublin folk scene, playing with Ronnie Drew, Johnny Moynihan and Luke Kelly. In 1966, Andy, Johnny Moynihan and Joe
Dolan formed Sweeney’s Men. He left Sweeney’s Men in May 1968 to explore Eastern Europe. He busked around Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia
with mandolin and harmonica for a year and a half, picking up Balkan folk music. Returning to Ireland, he played solo and with Donal Lunny for the
next few years. In 1972 he played with Christy Moore on his album Prosperous. Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O’ Flynn formed
Planxty. After Planxty broke up, he played and toured with Paul Brady from early 1976 to the end of 1977, recording one widely acclaimed album.
He also toured Europe with Mick Hanly, joining a re-formed Planxty and later Patrick Street, Mosaic and a re-formed Sweeney’s Men.
Paul Brady was born in Strabane, Northern Ireland, on the border with the Irish Republic, and educated at St. Colum’s in Derry. He played a wide
variety of music from an early age. He played in rhythm and blues bands while at College in Dublin and also played folk music at the local clubs
such as The Coffee Kitchen in Parnell Square, The Universal Folk Centre and the 95 Club in Harcourt St. He also played at The Embankment in Tallaght
with James Keane, brother of Seán Keane from the Chieftains. He joined the Johnstons in 1967 and stayed with them until 1973. They disbanded
in America. Returning to Ireland in 1974 he joined Planxty, replacing Christy Moore and on their disbandment formed a duo with Andy Irvine.
Working solo since 1978, he has become one of the most revered Irish songwriters, his songs recorded by Tina Turner, Santana and Bonnie Raitt.
Contact: www.andyirvine.com, www.paulbrady.com
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– Plains of Kildare is an Irish variant on the well-known horse racing song Stewball/
Skewbald, collected in England by A. L. Lloyd and in America by Cisco Houston. The
late Dublin singer Frank Harte remembered hearing it from A. L. Lloyd who called
the horse Skewbald. In his version, Skewbald was owned by Arthur Marvel and ran
against a grey mare called Miss Griselda ‘on the Sporting Plains of Kildare’: In 1964
Eddie Butcher of Magilligan, Co. Derry, sang for me another version of Stewball, who this
time was challenged by ‘young Mrs. Gore’ to run against Miss Griesel. I in turn passed the
song on to Andy and the version which you hear now is the outcome, he wrote on the
sleeve of Andy Irvine & Paul Brady. The facts are that sometime around 1790 a race
took place on the Curragh of Kildare between a skewbald horse owned by Sir Arthur
Marvel and Miss Portly, a grey mare owned by Sir Ralph Gore. The race seemed to
take the ballad makers’ fancy and must have been widely sung – an early printed
version appeared in an American song book dated 1829. This version of The Plains of
Kildare was recorded in Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, North Wales in spring 1976.
It features Andy Irvine, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny (bouzouki) and Kevin Burke (fiddle)
and the engineers on the session were Fritz Fryer and Ted Sharpe.
DERVISH
From the Mulligan Records CD:
‘Andy Irvine and Paul Brady’ / LUN-CD-3008
Lyrics trad., arr. Andy Irvine;
Published by Mulligan Music / MCPS
© 1976 Mulligan Records. Issued under license from Compass Records Group.
www.compassrecords.com
6. DERVISH: Baba Chonraoi
Formed in Sligo in 1988 from musicians in the local area and counties Dublin and Donegal, Dervish emerged from the busy 80s session circuit.
Originally a one-off project for the album The Boys of Sligo, Dervish became a full time band in 1991. Adding singer Cathy Jordan and highlighting
the music of Sligo / Leitrim, they released several albums as well as touring extensively. They are one of the new wave of 90s Celtic bands to tour
America and Europe and espouse a DIY ethic, forming their own independent record label Whirling Discs and being self-managed. Dervish’s
unique mix of local ethnic styles and idioms is one of their trademarks, as are their impassioned takes on traditional music.
Contact: www.dervish.ie
– The Irish language song Baba Chonraoi is taken from Dervish’s latest studio album The Thrush in the Storm. Singer Cathy Jordan from Scramogue,
County Roscommon, first heard her great friend Peter Crann sing this song and loved it. Peter got it from Gaelic singer Antaine O’Faracháin from
Co. Dublin. Baba Chonraoi tells the story of a young girl farmed out to another family who treated her badly and left her with no choice but to run
off with the English soldiers, the ‘Sappers’ down in Tralee, a decision that wouldn’t have been taken lightly. The song is welded to a multi-layered
arrangement from solo unaccompanied vocals to varying rhythms in the Irish musical idiom and a full band backing.
Trad., arr. Dervish / Licensed from Whirling Discs Ltd.
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7. JOHNNY DUHAN: The Voyage
Johnny Duhan, singer/songwriter, was born in Limerick. He quickly developed an interest in music
and sang with a local beat group, The Intentions. Changing their name to Granny’s Intentions,
they moved to London and signed for Deram Records in 1967, releasing five singles and an album,
Honest Injun, in 1970. On their disbandment Johnny formed a duo with guitarist Ed Deane and
recorded a solo album in 1980 which was released in 1982. Since then he has worked as a solo
singer/songwriter and released a series of albums dealing with issues including family life, religious
faith, his beat group days and recollections of growing up in Limerick. His songs have been recorded
by artists including The Dubliners, Mary Coughlan, Mary Black, Dolores Keane and The Irish Tenors.
JOHNNY DUHAN
Contact: www.johnnyduhan.com
– The Voyage, from the album of the same name, has become a standard in Ireland. Christy Moore
recorded it as the title track of his 1989 album, Voyage. The song looks at a marital relationship and
family life and likens it to a sea voyage and its many ups and downs. It also hints at the survival
instincts of people in such situations and the lessons they learn in their continual personal and
familial evolution. While the song appears to be a plaintive ballad, it packs an emotional weight in
its universal truth of the importance of family life. Johnny Duhan originally recorded it on his album
Family Album and re-issued it on his album Voyage.
Composed by Johnny Duhan
Published by MCPS / IMRO
www.johnnyduhan.com
8. MICHELLE MULCAHY: The Galway Bay Set
Multi-instrumentalist Michelle Mulcahy from Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick, plays the harp, flute and concertina. Her father Mick Mulcahy plays the
accordion and her sister Louise plays the uilleann pipes, flute and concertina. As The Mulcahy Family they have recorded three albums and toured
in Ireland, the US and Europe. Michelle is currently taking her PhD in Ethnomusicology at the University of Limerick and her thesis concentrates
on the similarities between Irish harp music and the harp music of Burma. This track, a selection of harp tunes in hornpipe tempo, is taken from
her debut solo album Suaimhneas for Cló Iar-Chonnachta.
Contact: www.facebook.com/michelle.mulcahy.583
– The Galway Bay Set comprises of two hornpipes, The Galway Bay & The Peacock’s Feather No 2. These two tunes were favourites of the renowned
Dublin fiddler Tommy Potts on his 1971 album The Liffey Banks on Claddagh Records. The Galway Bay has been recorded by Galway flute player
Paddy Carty and Clare flautist Eamonn Cotter. The Peacock’s Feather No 2 is one of two versions of the tune in D major as opposed to the usual
version which is in D minor. The Tulla Céilí Band recorded it on their 1996 album A Celebration of 50 Years and it was also recorded by Frankie Gavin
& Alec Finn on their 1977 duet album issued by Shanachie Records.
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From the album Suaimhneas / CICD189
Trad., arr. Michelle Mulcahy
Published by MÓC Music
Licensed from Cló Iar-Chonnachta Teo
www.cic.ie
9. DOLORES KEANE: The Island
Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) was born into a musical family in Caherlistrane, Co. Galway. Dolores, an adept instrumentalist on flute, tin
whistle, concertina and bodhrán, heard many of her songs from her aunts Sarah and Rita Keane and visiting singers and musicians. After leaving De
Dannan she settled in England with singer / guitarist John Faulkner and formed the group Reel Union with whom she recorded her first solo album
There Was a Maid issued by Claddagh Records in 1979. She recorded with The Chieftains on their Bonaparte’s Retreat album in 1976. Between 1978
and 1985 she toured with John Faulkner, and as a duo they recorded three albums: Broken Hearted I’ll Wander (1978), Farewell to Erin (1980) and
Sail Óg Rua (1983). Returning to De Dannan in 1985 she featured on the albums Anthem (1985) and Ballroom in 1987. Dolores left De Dannan and
commenced a solo career releasing three solo albums, Dolores Keane (1988), Lion in a Cage (1989) and Solid Ground in 1993. A collaboration with
Norwegian singer Rita Erikson, Tideland, emerged in 1996 and Dolores’ final album, Night Owl was released in 1998. Having retired from touring
and recording she spent prolonged periods out of music due to alcoholism and depression but regained sobriety and performed on the Woman’s
Heart concerts in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre in August 2012.
– The Island, composed by Paul Brady, is an anti-war song with a dream of escapist romanticism. The song first appeared on Paul Brady’s 1986 album
Back to the Centre on MCA Records. The song, while in essence a love song, is also a plea for racial understanding and a comment on the tragedy of
war, set both internationally and at home in Northern Ireland. It follows some ten years after his first anti-war song that addressed the Irish situation in
Border Child, recorded by The Johnstons on their 1972 album for Transatlantic Records, If I Sang My Song. The melody for Border Child is loosely based
on that of The Homes of Donegal. It was chosen as No. 1 of top ten songs dealing with the Irish political troubles of the recent past.
Contact: www.irishcentral.com
Composed by Paul Brady
Produced by Donal Lunny
Published by Rondor Music
Licensed from A V I D Ltd.
10. THE MAKEM & SPAIN BROTHERS: Crossroads Ceili
The Makem & Spain Brothers have roots in Irish and Scottish folk music of the 1960s. Tommy Makem’s three sons Rory, Connor and Shane are from
a legendary Irish music family while the Spain Brothers Jimmy and Mickey share familial roots in Ireland and Scotland. Combining forces in 2002,
the Makem & Spain Brothers have created a reputation of continuing the folk ballad tradition and post 50s / 60s folk revival for today’s world.
To date the Makem & Spain Brothers have toured throughout the US and made several albums – the latest, Sessions Volume 1, will be issued by
Appleseed Recordings in 2014.
Contact: www.makem.com
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– Crossroads dancing has long been a social tradition in many areas in rural Ireland.
While not as prominent now as it was 40/50 years ago, the crossroads céilí offered a
social opportunity as well as a celebration of traditional music and dance forms as
seen in films such as Dancing at Lughnasa. This song celebrated the crossroads céilí
with reference to the social aspect of it – it shares a sense of romanticism similar
to Bill Staines’ Roseville Fair. Crossroads Ceili, written by Kevin Dolan and featured
on Up the Stairs, combines the old world image of Ireland’s active rural social life
in a modern contemporary folk song that bridges the gap between the Irish and
American folk ballad circles.
THE MAKEM & SPAIN BROTHERS
Composed by Kevin Dolan
Arranged by The Makem & Spain Brothers
Published by NiceCuppaT Music ASCAP
Licensed from The Makem & Spain Brothers
11. JANE CASSIDY: Green Bushes
A native of Kilkeel, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, Jane Cassidy grew up in a musical family and sang in local competitions at school. Moving to Belfast
to study at Queens University, she formed a duo with her brother Frank and became a regular at The Sunflower Folk Club, a highly influential
venue, founded by Geoff Harden. She toured in Ireland, Brittany, Germany and the UK during the 80s releasing two solo albums, Waves of Time
and The Empty Road. Working as a radio presenter, presenting the popular series Folk Club on BBC Radio Ulster she also worked as a researcher/
producer with BBC and raised a family. She partook in stage shows and recordings with husband Maurice Leyden, including a stage show and
album based on the life of Mary Anne McCracken. They are currently working on a show based on the Dublin Lock-Out of 1913. Recently she has
made a return to the Belfast circuit with the revival of The Sunflower Folk Club and the cult record collectors’ interest in her 1980s LPs. Through the
Arts Council of Northern Ireland Jane Cassidy recently became Arts Officer for Traditional Arts.
Contact: www.facebook.com/jane.cassidy0
– Green Bushes comes from Jane Cassidy’s second solo album The Empty Road issued by Claddagh Records in
1985 and recorded at Homestead Studios, Randalstown, Co. Antrim. The song is a version of Down by the Green
Bushes as sung by Delia Murphy and Scottish singer Paddie Bell in the early 60s and Geraldine Doyle in the 70s.
Jane Cassidy describes its origins as follows, “There are many versions of the song and the story is set to various
tunes. The tune in this version was collected from a Mrs. Holt of Alderhill, Meanwood, who remembered it being sung
in Stockport about 1838. It also turns up in Petrie’s Music of Ireland, Vol II, in 1882. When I recorded it back in 1985, I
was lucky enough to have Andy Irvine on mandolin, and the strings were arranged by Neil Martin and Shaun Wallace”.
JANE CASSIDY
Trad., arr. Jane Cassidy / Neil Martin / Shaun Wallace (strings)
Produced by Shaun Wallace / Published by Elmgrove Music / Licensed from Jane Cassidy
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12. LOU MCMAHON: Wide Eyed Lady
From Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, singer/songwriter/actress Louise McMahon has achieved very much in a short time as a performer. In 2010 she
recorded her debut EP, Delicate Dancer, produced by Terry Woods (Pogues / Sweeney’s Men). She has performed throughout Ireland, opening
for artists such as Mundy, Jack L, Freddie White and Juliet Turner. She also works as a production assistant with RTÉ Lyric FM. She played her first
London shows in 2013 and also toured Germany and Hungary. She will release her first solo album in 2014.
Contact: http://breakingtunes.com/loumcmahon
– Wide Eyed Lady is an original song recorded on her Delicate Dancer EP, produced by Terry Woods, who also plays five-string banjo on the track.
The song works as an example of contemporary folk rock in the Kate Bush / Suzanne Vega mode. Lyrically the song is articulate and mysterious as
befits its subject matter – a wide-eyed lady who inhabits an ethereal world. The song crosses the border between the lyrical narrative powers of
folk music and the melodic structure of contemporary rock music.
Songwriter: Lou McMahon
Produced by Terry Woods
Licensed from Louise McMahon
13. MARTIN HAYES & DENNIS CAHILL: Paddy Fahey’s Reel
Martin Hayes was born in the East Clare village of Tulla, son of P.J. Hayes, leader of The Tulla Céilí Band, formed in 1944 by local Garda Sergeant,
Bert McNulty and Mrs. Theresa Tubridy. The band won many competitions and was the first Irish céilí band to make a commercial recording for
Dublin Records in 1959. Martin learned music from his father and played with the band before emigrating to America after finishing college
in 1985. He settled in Chicago originally, where he met guitarist Dennis Cahill in the Jazz Rock band Midnight Court. He later moved to Seattle
and recorded his debut solo album, Martin Hayes, for Green Linnet in 1993. Reuniting with Dennis Cahill, he formed a duo which is unique in its
musical synergy and emotional quality. Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill are known for the intense passion of their live set. Their music, while being
low key in comparison to many other Irish players, has a singular quality that renders it unique. While still touring with Dennis as a duo they also
formed the group The Gloaming with Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Iarla Ó Lionáird and Thomas Bartlett Martin. They also played and recorded with
composer Peadar Ó Riada and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh in the group Triúr (Gaelic for Trio) and recorded three albums of tunes composed by Peadar
Ó Riada so far.
Contact: www.martinhayes.com
– Paddy Fahey (born 1926) from Kilconnell in East Galway, while renowned as a musician, has never made a commercial recording, nor has he
published a book of his compositions. However, some privately made recordings of Fahey exist which have been distributed amongst musicians
since the 1970s but have never been issued publicly. In 2001 Paddy Fahey was named Composer of The Year by Irish Language TV station TG4 at
their annual award ceremony Gradam Ceoil. He has written a repertoire of fiddle tunes, all bearing his name as their title. His original jigs and reels
have become part of the Irish repertoire and while none have distinct names as such, their individuality has rendered them very popular. This is
one of his best known reels.
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From the Green Linnet CD: Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill ‘The Lonesome Touch’ / GL-CD-1181
Composed by Paddy Fahey; published by Paddy Fahey / IMRO
© 1997 Green Linnet. Issued under license from Compass Records Group.
www.compassrecords.com
14. JOE O’DONNELL’S SHKAYLA:
Brian Boru’s March
A feted, though underrated player in the Irish Folk and Rock story, violinist and composer Joe O’Donnell hails from Hyde Road Prospect, Limerick.
Classically trained on violin, he played guitar in The Intentions, later Granny’s Intentions. He played violin in psychedelic rock bands Sweet Street
Sect with Johnny Fean (Horslips) and Orange Machine, before moving to London in 1970. He played and recorded with Gay and Terry Woods,
Trees, East of Eden and Rory Gallagher. He released his debut solo album, Gaodhol’s Vision in 1977, an ambitious Irish Folk / Rock / Jazz / Classical
crossover. He later settled briefly in Jersey, before relocating to Coventry in 1994, where he lives now. Presently he leads the Celtic Rock band
Shkayla and has released three solo albums since 2000, the most recent of which, Into the Becoming, was released in 2013. Working as composer/
arranger/producer, his music includes native Irish idioms laced with classical Rock and Eastern flavours.
Contact: www.joe-odonnell.com/
– Brian Boru’s March: A popular Irish tune in 2/4 march time, it has been recorded by The Chieftains, Clannad, Wolfe Tones and many other Irish
artists. Dedicated to Brian Boru and celebrating the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 after which he was crowned High King of Ireland. Francis O’Neill
maintained that the style of the tune dated its origin after the 11th century and it belonged in the clan march tradition. In his Irish Minstrels and
Musicians, O’Neill quotes as follows from the journal of a German traveller named Kohl, who heard Brian Boru’s March performed on the pipes in
County Louth in the mid 1800s: The music of this march is wildly powerful and at the same time melancholy. It is at once the music of victory and of
mourning. O’Neill also quotes the poet Thomas Davis, who writes with regard to the music of the clan marches, No enemy speaks slightingly of Irish
music and no friend need fear to boast of it. Its antique war-tunes…stream and crash upon the ear like the warriors of a hundred glens meeting, and you
are borne with them to battle… It should be pointed out that not a few of the tunes played as jigs by today’s traditional musicians actually began life as
marches. Brian Boru’s is still heard and loved anywhere that Irish music is performed (my first exposure to it was the playing of the great Galway accordion
player Joe Burke in the 1960s).
Trad., arr. Joe O’Donnell
Produced and produced by Joe O’Donnell
Licensed from Silvery Records
JOE O’DONNELL’S SHKAYLA
15. LUKA BLOOM: You Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time
Luka Bloom was born Kevin Barry Moore in Newbridge, Co. Kildare in 1958. He formed his
first band while at school in Newbridge. Moving to Limerick to study at the University of
Limerick (NIHE), he also performed a solo opening for Planxty and toured Germany in 1974,
and as a member of Inchiquin in 1977. His first solo album Treaty Stone produced by Christy
Moore emerged in 1978 on Mulligan Records. He released two more well received albums
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before decamping to America and renaming himself Luka Bloom. Touring with The Pogues
and signing with Warner Music, he released three albums in the 90s before relocating to
Ireland and recording for Sony and his own label.
LUKA BLOOM
Contact: www.lukabloom.com
– You Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time uses the traditional tune The Kesh Jig, a 6/8
double jig popularised by The Bothy Band, as its background. Luka Bloom first recorded it
on his 1990 album Riverside, issued by Warner Brothers Records. A live recording of the song
was included on the soundtrack album to the documentary series Bringing It All Back Home,
issued in 1991. Always a popular song on his live appearances, coupling introspective lyrics,
a rousing chorus and a lilting melody has led to it being covered several times. This version of
You Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time is a 2013 recording and was included as a bonus track
on the American issue of his current album This New Morning issued by Compass Records in
the USA and on his own label elsewhere.
Composed, arranged and produced by Luka Bloom
Published by Warner Chappell
Licensed from Luka Bloom
16. THE WILLIS CLAN: Boys from Boston
A prodigious, self-taught and home schooled family from Nashville, Tennessee, USA, The Willis Clan has become one of the biggest new acts in
Celtic Music. Parents Brenda and Buck Willis and their 12 children are all multi-instrumentalists, singers and dancers. The first Scottish-Irish Willis
ancestors came to Jamestown in the early 1600s. Brenda Willis: “God has blessed us greatly and we enjoy a rich and rewarding life. It is also a lot
of hard work. With twelve children, just keeping their names straight can be a challenge. All twelve children’s names start with the letter ‘J’. We like
to enjoy the full spectrum of life. We do music, dance, art, crafts, writing, as well as horses, wrestling, homemade cooking, swimming in the creek,
and snuggling up before our fireplace, warming our log cabin. We even have a front porch swing.
We also work hard to become excellent at the things we do. Our children have
won regional and national dance titles and placed in world competitions for
both music and dance. The boys have won state titles in folk style, freestyle, and
Greco-Roman wrestling. We have chosen to take paths less travelled and love
it. We hope to share a little of this joy and adventure with everybody we meet.”
Chapter One - Roots, the long awaited first Irish album by The Willis Clan features
twelve original tunes and songs that perfectly blend the old with the new.
Contact: www.thewillisclan.com
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THE WILLIS CLAN
– The tune Boys from Boston was written by Jessica and Jeremiah Willis. In an email interview Brenda Willis stated, “We started writing this tune in
a stairwell while waiting to go on stage. We named it after a group of audience members from Boston that we met in Disney World’s Raglan Road
Irish Pub earlier that year. They came in at the end of the night during one of our shows and brought the party! We met ‘Chip’ who was celebrating
his 21st birthday. Someday we’d love to find the Boys from Boston and let them know that their antics and enthusiasm inspired us to name this
tune after them”. Featured on this track from Chapter One - Roots are Jessica (violin), Jeremiah (guitar, flute), Jennifer (accordion), Jeanette (whistle),
Jackson (bodhrán) and Jedi (bass).
Composed by Jessica Willis
Arranged by Jeremiah Willis
Recorded and published by The Willis Clan
Licensed from The Willis Clan
17. SCREAMING ORPHANS: Lonely Boy
Screaming Orphans is a Pop / Celtic Rock band from Bundoran, Co. Donegal, but have been based in New York since 2006. The band consists of
the four Diver sisters, Joan Diver (drums, vocals), Angela Diver (bass, violin, vocals), Gráinne Diver (guitar, vocals) and Marie Thérèse Diver (keyboards,
accordion, vocals). They play their own melodic pop songs as well as traditional Irish songs. Raised in a musical family, they initially played folk
music but also wanted to form a rock band, playing covers of Indigo Girls, Red Hot Chilli Peppers et al. They played in Dublin’s Baggott Inn, Slattery’s,
Whelan’s and the Mean Fiddler. Angela studied violin at Leinster College of Music, Dublin, Gráinne studied mathematics and music at Trinity
College, Dublin, while Marie Thérèse studied classical piano and teaching in Dublin’s Royal College of Music and Joan studied French and German
at Trinity College, Dublin. They have toured as opening act and backing band for Sinéad O’Connor, Baaba Maal, Joni Mitchell and Peter Gabriel.
Their debut album Listen and Learn was issued by Warner Brothers and produced by
Mike Hedges (U2, Manic Street Preachers, Texas). They have released ten albums to
date, the most recent, Toy Theatre (2013).
Contact: www.thescreamingorphans.com/band.html
– Lonely Boy, the title track from The Screaming Orphans’ 2011 album of the same
name, shows their Celtic influenced folk pop / rock with strong vocal harmonies.
Their approach has been described as “where honey and gravel collide” which
complements the more traditional sounding quotient of their repertoire and sound.
This high energy, up tempo track highlights the contemporary pop / rock aspects
and the familial harmonies while recalling similar Celtic pop outfits like The Corrs,
and highlights vocal influences from The Bangles and Blondie, allied to a high
powered production, similar to Phil Spector’s legendary Wall of Sound.
Composed, arranged and produced by The Screaming Orphans
Published by The Screaming Orphans / Tir Chonaill Music (BMG)
Licensed from The Screaming Orphans
SCREAMING ORPHANS
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18. AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM: Whirl-Y-Reel No. 1
The result of a project headed by Simon Emmerson and James McNally, The Afro Celt Sound System offers a unique vista on Roots music
highlighting Celtic roots from Ireland and Brittany with elements of African and Indian music. The result is a unique chemistry that works, and
its continuing evolution from a studio experiment to a full time touring and recording band has been widely acclaimed. They have since toured
internationally and recorded seven albums.
Contact: www.afroceltsoundsystem.net
– Whirl-Y-Reel No. 1 was the opening track on the Afro Celt Sound System’s first album issued in 1995. It highlights the unique Celtic / Dance
crossover formula that The Afro Celt Sound System has patented and developed through seven albums and subsequent international tours. WhirlY-Reel No. 1 begins with multifarious percussion laying down a rhythmic pattern, highlighted by the individual instruments including African kora,
banjo, Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer. The swirling introduction rises to a crescendo before the main theme emerges. The Celtic inspired
dance rhythms blend with solid dance floor beats and a number of solo spots for the kora and Celtic harp played by Breton harpist Rémi Myrdhin.
The combination of native Celtic and African rhythms crossed with jazz, rock and folk roots made for a bold, adventurous sound that was imitated
but unequalled.
From Sound Magic / CDRWG61
Composed by Simon Emmerson / James McNally
Published by Real World Music
℗ & © Real World Records Ltd. / Womad Music
Licensed from Real World Records Ltd.
CD 2
1. CLANNAD: Rhapsody na gCrann
Hailing from the Gweedore area in Co. Donegal and made up of Brennan siblings Moya, Ciarán and Pól,
along with their uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan, Clannad have become legends in Celtic music. With
their haunting arrangements, ethereal vocal harmonies and innovative ethnic fusions, Clannad’s sound
and approach is unique. Having recorded several albums of acoustic based music their theme song for
the Harry’s Game TV series brought them Top 10 success in the UK, shortly followed by the soundtrack
music to the entire three series of Robin of Sherwood. A succession of successful albums plus multiple
awards and movie soundtrack songs cemented their reputation. After a long break from recording
Clannad have returned with a new studio album, Nádúr, marking their 40th anniversary, is their first
album since 1998’s Landmarks, and released by ARC Music in September 2013.
Contact: www.clannad.ie
CLANNAD
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– Rhapsody na gCrann is taken from the album Nádúr and translated it means Rhapsody of the Trees. An ode to nature, the words were written
by Donegal poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh, born in Gort a’ Choirce, a town in the Gaeltacht region of Donegal.
Composed by Ciarán Brennan / Pól Brennan / Cathal Ó Searcaigh
Published by Clannad Music Ltd.
An ARC Music Production
2. THE YOUNG FOLK: Way Down South
The Young Folk are a Dublin based four piece band who have been touring parts of Ireland, Scandinavia and North America over the past year,
while performing at some of Irelands well known festival such as Electric Picnic, Sea Sessions, Castlepalooza, Sligo Live & the Valentia Isle Festival.
They are just back from shows in New York, where they celebrated the launch of their debut album The Little Battle. The Young Folk also played at
Cambridge Folk Festival and opened for Midlake at Sligo Live 2013.
They have the anticipated balance of seamless harmonies and classic folk progression that continues their journey through dynamic soundscapes.
With shades of alt-county heroes in evidence, the band’s orchestration nods to home-grown and North American folk traditions that artfully build
melodies that feel as though they have existed for many years. The Young Folk feature Anthony Furey (songwriter, vocals, guitar), Karen Hickey
(violin, flute), Tony McLoughlin (bass, mandolin), Paul Butler (piano, vocals) and Karl Hand (drums, percussion).
Contact: www.theyoungfolk.com
– Way Down South is a track from The Young Folk’s debut album The Little Battle, issued in 2013. The songs they create are variants on what would
be tethered under the term folk, but if you’re looking for very obvious reference points or worse, clichés, then you’d best search elsewhere.
In November 2013 Way Down South was featured on Irish national television and radio as advertising background music for transportforireland.ie
From ‘The Little Battle’
THE YOUNG FOLK
Lyrics by Antony Furey, Music by The Young Folk
Produced by The Young Folk
© The Young Folk, 2013
Licensed from The Young Folk
3. CHERISH THE LADIES:
Rayleen’s Reel / The Pullet / Scotch Mary / Within a Mile of Dublin
The Irish American group Cherish the Ladies formed from a series of concerts held
in New York in 1986. The shows, organised by Mick Moloney, featured a number of
prominent female musicians, all 2nd generation. From the concert’s two LPs, Cherish the
Ladies and Fathers and Daughters were issued by Shanachie Records in 1986. The success
of the shows and records lead to the formation of a full time band lead by Bronx-born
flautist Joanie Madden. The group established in 1988 has become a mainstay of the Irish
American concert and festival circuit and has also toured Ireland and Europe. They have
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recorded for Green Linnet, RCA and Rounder Records. Their line-up has featured leading musicians including Eileen Ivers, Donna Long, Marie Reilly,
Mary Coogan, Mirella Murray and vocalists Cathie Ryan, Aoife Clancy, Deirdre Connolly, Mary Rafferty, Siobhan Egan, Heidi Talbot and Anne Marie
Bourke. The current line up consists of Joanie Madden, Mary Coogan, Kathleen Boyle, Mirella Murray and Gráinne Murphy.
Contact: www.cherishtheladies.com
– Rayleen’s Reel is a set of tunes from the album New Days Dawning issued by Green Linnet Records. The Pullet and Scotch Mary are
popular Irish tunes from the céilí band tradition – the first recorded by The Castle Céilí Band in 1974 on their Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann LP, Castle
Céilí Band. Scotch Mary is a popular flute tune, versions of which have been recorded by Desi Wilkinson from Belfast and Niall Keegan from
St. Albans, England, now course organiser at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance based at the University of Limerick. Within a Mile of
Dublin is a well-known tune, first heard from Barney McKenna of The Dubliners on the Finnegan’s Wake recording from 1966, made on location at
the Gate Theatre Dublin.
From the Green Linnet CD: Cherish the Ladies ‘New Day Dawning’ / GL-CD-1175
Track 1 composed by Siobhan Egan / tracks 2-4 trad., arr. Cherish the Ladies
Published by Wood Park Publishing / BMI
© 1996 Green Linnet. Issued under license from Compass Records Group.
www.compassrecords.com
4. CALADH NUA: The Cruel Lowland Maid
Caladh Nua is one of the new breed of Irish traditional bands, who exploded on the scene in 2010 with the release of their debut album, Happy
Days. Based around Kilkenny, Waterford and Carlow and comprised of Colm O’Caoimh (guitar, vocals) from Kilkenny, Waterford native Paddy Tutty
(fiddle, backing vocals, bodhrán), Eoin O’Meachair (tenor banjo, whistle), Lisa Butler (lead vocals, fiddle) from Carlow and Derek Morrissey (button
accordion) from County Waterford. They have released two albums, Happy Days and Next Stop. Caladh Nua is a tightly-knit, vibrant and staggeringly
talented band. They have captured the essential qualities of traditional Irish music and balanced them finely with an innovative contemporary flair.
Through a series of international tours and festivals across the globe, which saw the band take the stage in cities such as Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen,
Berlin, Mumbai and Vancouver, Caladh Nua has cast a uniquely captivating net of Irish music and song over an ever widening worldwide audience.
Contact: www.caladhnua.com
– The Cruel Lowland Maid was learned at a Phil Murphy Weekend in Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford from the great American storyteller, Sara Grey.
Sara informed the band that it is a variant of a 19th century British broadside ballad, printed by Ryle and Co., which listed the author as G. Brown.
Sara learned it from the singing of Mr. Hanford Hayes from Maine. This song is also known as the The Lovely Lowland Maid.
Trad., arr. Eoin O Meachair / Lisa Butler / Paddy Tutty / Colm O’Caoimh / Derek Morrissey
Published by Caladh Nua
Licensed from Caladh Nua
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5. CRAOBH RUA: Hunting the Hare / Give Us a Drink of Water /
Ellen O’Grady / Moll Rua (Slip Jigs)
Craobh Rua was originally formed in Belfast in the mid-1980s, and has toured
internationally and released six albums to date. The Craobh Rua name refers
to the Red Branch Knights – the group led by Brian Connolly and Michael
Cassidy with uileann piper Desy McCabe. Playing in Northern Ireland and
Europe, they released their debut album Not a Word About It in 1989. Signing
to KRL Records in 1992 they released four albums between 1992 and 2000.
This set is the opening track of their latest album I’d Understand You if I Knew
what You Meant and features Desy McCabe (uilleann pipes, tin whistles), Brian
Connolly (banjo), Jim Rainey (guitar), Conor Caldwell (fiddle) and Rohan
Young (guest musician, bodhrán).
CRAOBH RUA
Contact: www.craobhrua.com
– Hunting the Hare / Give Us a Drink of Water / Ellen O’Grady / Moll Rua (Slip Jigs)
Tunes written for hunts are common in Irish music and the first tune, Hunting the Hare, can be found in O’Neill’s Music of Ireland (ONMI 1153).
It was popular with the wave of post-famine emigrants in the United States. There is some suggestion that it is also related to the well-known slip
jig Top it off. Craobh Rua’s version of Give Us a Drink of Water (ONMI 1131) is different from the tune recorded by The Bothy Band under that name.
We single out the fiddle in this tune for a solo before reintroducing the rest of the band in the final repeat. Ellen O’Grady (ONMI 1144) also goes
under the title Kitty O’Hea (512) in the Petrie Collection of Irish Music, and Petrie remarked that it was a Donegal tune, although the B parts differ
significantly. The final tune in the set, Moll Rua (ONMI 1169), was named after Máire Rua Ní Mahon, a 17th century socialite, who was well known
in her time, having lost her husband in the fight against the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
Trad., arr. Brian Connolly / Desy, McCabe / Jim Rainey / Conor Caldwell
Produced by Brian Connolly and Craobh Rua
Licensed from Craobh Rua
6. THE MIGHTY DOONANS: Ramblin’ Siuler
The Mighty Doonans are a family unit made up of two families of Irish descent, the Doonans and the Murrays based in Co. Durham. The Doonans’
father John Doonan was an award winning flute and piccolo player who was a Feis Ceoil winner and recorded two albums, Flute for the Feis and At
the Feis. His son Mick carries on the family tradition. With their close friends, the Murrays, The Mighty Doonan’s mix Irish music, English Folk Rock
singer/songwriter styles and dancing. The Mighty Doonans’ was an idea to get together a big band with a big sound, using friends and family.
“Our first port of call was to ask Ian (Walter) Fairbairn, who was in Hedgehog Pie and Jack the Lad in the seventies. Ian, although from Wallsend,
lives in Leeds and has been playing with local bands for years. He is such a great multi-talented musician; it was brilliant when he agreed to join
us. We then had the idea of recruiting a few siblings - Rosie Doonan, Ben Murray and Jamie Luckley.” And so The Mighty Doonans did their first gig
at Sunderland Festival in August 2011. The line-up includes Mick Doonan (Irish pipes, piccolo, sax, vocals), Rosie Doonan (vocals, sax), Fran Doonan
(dancer, flute, sax, vocals), Kevin Doonan (fiddle), Ian Fairbairn (fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals), Stu Luckley (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Jamie
Luckley (drums), Phil Murray (bass), Ben Murray (keyboards, melodeon, whistle, vocals).
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Contact: www.thedoonanfamily.co.uk/mightydoonans.htm
– Ramblin’ Siuler is one of a group of songs in the Irish and Scots vocal traditions that include The Jolly Beggarman and Hi for the Beggarman in the
Irish canon and The Gaberlunzie Man in Scottish repertoires. The idea is that a nobleman (often a king, as in James II of Scotland) comes to a farm
house, begs lodgings and falls in love with the farmer’s daughter and seduces and abducts her. The song here was collected in Northern Ireland by
Sam Henry and published in his book Songs of the People. It has been recorded in this guise by Andy Irvine and Shamrock. The word Siuler is taken
from the Gaelic siul and means to walk, which would suggest that our begging hero was travelling on foot, or a walking soldier or the romanticised
idyll of the soldier of fortune. The arrangement includes a snippet of O’Carolan’s Concerto composed by Turlough O’Carolan under the influence
of the Renaissance and Baroque idioms.
Trad., arr. Mathews / Wilson / Matthews / Doonan
Licensed from Kevin Doonan
7. KÍLA: Glanfaidh Mé
A collection of poets, traditional musicians, close families and cutting edge auctioneers, Kíla is the result of a cultural and musical melting pot.
Formed at school at Coláiste Eóin, Sandymount, Dublin, Kíla, in Colm Ó Snodaigh’s words is ‘the school band that stayed together’. Featuring three
members of the Ó Snodaigh family, Kíla mixes Gaelic contemporary songs, traditional elements of Irish and Breton music and contemporary jazz,
fusion and ethnic styles into something unique. Having released several albums, Kíla command a dedicated and loyal audience worldwide and
have seen their music develop into a personalised multicultural mix.
Contact: www.kila.ie
– Glanfaidh Mé originally appeared on Kíla’s 2003 album, Luna Park. The opening track’s epic 9-minute arrangement includes all the typical
elements of Kíla’s musical style: the mantra-like vocal refrains and hypnotic African and Celtic flavoured rhythms and World music idioms. Lyrically
Glanfaidh Mé is a statement of intent – translated, it means ‘I will clean’ as in ‘I will clean the memory of broken love and make a new start’. Musically
it is a swirling melodic spiral of sound that engages and invites the listener to abandon their inhibitions and surrender to the rhythms.
From Luna Park / KRCD009
Composed by Rónán Ó Snodaigh / Eoin Dillon, arr. Kíla
Published by Kíla Music
Licensed from Kíla Records
KÍLA
8. THE JOHNSTONS: Gleanntáin Ghlas’ Ghaoth Dobhair
During the late 60s and early 70s, The Johnstons were one of Ireland’s
leading folk groups. Founded in Slane, Co. Kildare in 1965, sisters
Adrienne and Luci Johnston and their brother Michael began singing
locally and soon became popular on the Dublin scene. They signed to
Pye Records and had an Irish No. 1 with their first single The Travelling
People and followed up with The Curragh of Kildare, I Never Will Marry and
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Banks of Claudy. Replacing Michael Johnston with multi-instrumentalist Mick Moloney and Paul Brady they signed to Transatlantic Records and
between 1968 and 1972 recorded six albums: The Johnstons, Give a Damn, The Barleycorn, Bitter Green, Colours of the Dawn and If I Sang My Song.
They made their US debut at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and Gerde’s Folk City in New York, opening for Bonnie Raitt. They settled in America and
disbanded in 1973. Adrienne Johnston died tragically in 1981, while Paul Brady and Mick Moloney pursued solo careers. Reunion concerts in 1976
and 2011 at the inauguration of their now annual Johnstons Music Festival in Drogheda have heightened respect and interest in their music.
– Gleanntáin Ghlas’ Ghaoth Dobhair or the Green Glens of Gweedore is a good example of a local song that quickly achieved widespread
recognition but soon returned to its locality. The words were composed by Proinsias Ó Maonaigh (Francie Mooney) from Gaoth Dobhair, whose
daughter Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh is the lead singer/fiddler with Altan. Altan recorded a version of this song on their 1997 album Runaway Sunday.
Francie apparently wrote this song while on his honeymoon in Scotland. The tune is the well-known Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore which was sung
by Eddie Butcher of Magilligan, Co. Derry, whom Sam Henry collected it from and included it on his collection The Songs of the People. In Ireland,
The Johnstons first recorded it on their 1969 album The Barleycorn – it became a standard. I heard Gleanntáin Ghlas’ Ghaoth Dobhair originally
from The Johnstons, and Waterford singer Tadhg O’Comain (Tim Cummings) reminded me of it at the Irish College in Murioch near Dingle, Co.
Kerry in summer 1975. It was also recorded on My Lagan Love, a 70s recording of South African group Flibbertigibbet featuring Dublin singer Alison
O’Donnell, ex Mellow Candle.
From Gleanntáin Ghlas’ Ghaoth Dobhair – Gael Linn Single
Trad., arr. Na Johnstons / Published by Gael Linn / Licensed from Gael Linn Teo
9. THE DUBLINERS: The Rocky Road to Dublin
The Dubliners formed through informal sessions at O’Donoghue’s Pub in Merrion Row, Dublin, in 1961. Originally comprised of Ronnie Drew, Barney
McKenna, Luke Kelly and Ciarán Bourke they recorded their first album on Transatlantic in 1962. They also recorded for EMI Polydor and other
labels in their 50 year career and had released over 20 albums. Recognised as Irish Music’s spiritual godfathers, their influence spreads through
to The Pogues, Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. In 2012 The Dubliners played their 50th Anniversary Tour and announced their retirement
– the last line up of John Sheahan, Sean Cannon, Eamonn Campbell, Patsy Watchorn and Gerry O’Connor played their final concerts at Dublin’s
Vicar Street in December 2012. Sean Cannon, Eamonn Campbell, Patsy Watchorn and Gerry O’Connor continue as The Dublin Legends while John
Sheahan collaborates with a variety of artists including Damien Dempsey and many others, and has appeared in Denmark with the duo Shane
and Jane comprised of Shane Donnelly and Jane Clark.
Contact: www.thedubliners.org/, http://itsthedubliners.com/
– The song collector and publisher Colm Ó Lochlainn first published The Rocky Road to Dublin in 1939 in his first volume of Irish Street Ballads.
The book, published by Three Candles Press, eventually became a pinnacle of repertoire during the 1960s ballad revival. Having been republished
three times (the last edition in 1978), Irish Street Ballads has served its purpose of being an archive collection and living embodiment of folk
history. This version, recorded at Vicar Street in Dublin in 2006, features Sean Cannon from Ballinasloe, Co. Galway (now living in Coventry), on
vocals and featured on the album Live at Vicar Street.
From ‘Live at Vicar Street’
Trad., arr. McKenna / Sheahan / Canoon / Campbell / Watchorn
Published by Tolka Music / Marino Music / Fair Deal Music
Licensed courtesy of Baycourt Ltd.
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10. ALTAN: The Curlew / McDermott’s / Three Scones of Boxty
One of Irelands leading traditional and folk bands, Altan is named after Loch Altan, a lake in Donegal. The group was founded in the mid-80s by
Donegal fiddler and singer Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her then husband, flautist Frankie Kennedy who died in 1994. The band dedicated itself to
a repertoire based on songs and tunes from the Donegal area with Scottish, Cape Breton and Irish influences. Touring extensively for several years,
they recorded for Green Linnet, Virgin, Narada and Compass Records. They have toured intensively and still maintain a busy concert schedule.
Group members have also released solo recordings and played with other combinations but Altan remains a leading attraction in Ireland, Europe
and the USA. The current line-up features Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Ciarán Tourish, Dermot Byrne, Ciarán Curran and Mark Kelly. Their most recent
album, Gleann Nimhe (Poison Glen) was issued in 2013 by Compass Records.
Contact: www.altan.ie
– The Curlew / McDermott’s / Three Scones of Boxty comes from the album Horse with a Heart and was recorded in 1988. It features Mairéad
Ní Mhaonaigh (fiddle), Frankie Kennedy (flute), Paul O’Shaughnessy (fiddle), Ciarán Curran (bouzouki), Mark Kelly (guitar) with Colm Murphy on
bodhrán and produced by Phil Cunningham. The set consists of three reels, two of which are original compositions. The Curlew was written by
Josephine Keegan, a pianist, fiddler and composer who originally achieved success as accompanist for Belfast fiddler Sean McGuire and has
written many tunes of her own and recorded several collections on the Outlet and Celtic Music labels. Sean McGuire himself also recorded The
Curlew on one of his many recordings. McDermott’s is composed by Josie McDermott, a blind singer/songwriter, flautist and saxophonist from
Ballyfarnon on the borders of Longford and Leitrim. He played in Irish dance bands on the London circuit in the 50s and his sole recording, Darby’s
Farewell, was issued by Topic Records in the late 70s. Three Scones of Boxty is a traditional tune from Donegal which found favour in many Northern
sessions and was also recorded by the Portglenone band Déanta on their second album Déanta, originally issued in 1991.
From the Green Linnet CD:
Altan ‘Horse with a Heart’/ GL-CD-1095
Josephine Keegan, IMRO / Josie McDermott,
IMRO / trad., arr. Altan
Published by Silverstream Music Ltd. / IMRO
© 1989 Green Linnet. Issued under license from Compass Records Group.
www.compassrecords.com
11. NIAMH PARSONS: Clohinne Winds
Niamh Parsons from Raheny in Co. Dublin has established herself as one of Ireland’s leading female singers, working in a traditionally influenced
style. While learning songs at sessions for many years, she performed part time, singing solo and with bands like Killera, while working in a law
firm. Moving to Belfast in 1989 she formed the bands Looser Connections and Cúigear Ban. Her first solo album, Loosely Connected, was released
by Greentrax Records in 1991, and Loosen Up in 1997, both recorded with the Loose Connections band. She also toured and recorded with Arcady
on their award-winning album Many Happy Returns. Of late she has relocated to Dublin, worked solo in partnership with guitarist Graham Dunne,
and has made four solo recordings to date. Clohinne Winds was recorded with The Loose Connections and featured on their album Loosen Up.
Contact: www.niamhparsons.com
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– Clohinne Winds was written by Briege Murphy, a singer/songwriter from Forkhill in County Armagh. She has released several albums. Briege
Murphy’s songs centre on her native locality and, while parochial in nature, encompass universal themes including love, loss, ties to native places,
emigration and local folklore. Briege recorded her own version of Clohinne Winds on her debut album, The Longest Road, issued by Spring Records
in 1994.
From the Green Linnet CD ‘Loosen Up’ / GL-CD-1167
Composed by Briege Murphy
Published by Briege Murphy / MCPS
© 1997 Green Linnet. Issued under license from Compass Records Group
www.compassrecords.com
12. THE BOTHY BAND: The Green Groves of Erin / The Flowers of Red Hill (Reels)
A pivotal Irish folk band, The Bothy Band was formed in Dublin in 1974, initially to play at a Gael-Linn function under the name Seachtar.
The core line-up remained together after the event under the leadership of ex Planxty member Donal Lunny and brother / sister team Mícheál
and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, ex Skara Brae. Recruiting flautist Matt Molloy, piper Paddy Keenan, himself an exponent of the travelling style of piping,
and Donegal fiddler Tommy Peoples, The Bothy Band (named after an Irish migrant worker’s cottage in Scotland), began playing regularly in
Dublin. Signing to the Mulligan label they released their first album, The Bothy Band in late 1975. Replacing Tommy Peoples with Kevin Burke, they
signed to Polydor Records for UK release and recorded two more studio albums Old Hag You Have Killed Me and Out of the Wind into the Sun. They
toured Ireland, Europe and the USA before their final show at Ballisodare Folk Festival, Co. Sligo, in summer 1979. A reunion occurred in 2005 for
the Gradam Ceoil live concert at which they received a Lifetime Achievement Award, with Manus Lunny replacing Donal Lunny on the night. Their
final live performance occurred on May 24th, 2007 at Dublin’s Vicar Street venue, at a concert in memory of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, who had died on
July 8th, 2006. Meanwhile their reputation with folk music followers has grown to legendary status.
Contact: www.compassrecords.com
– The Green Groves of Erin / The Flowers of Red Hill are two popular reels, though not often played in recent years. The second tune is also
referred to as The Clogher Reel which could put its origin in the Galway / Donegal areas. The Bothy Band’s live performances had an energy absent
from their studio recordings. Their music received increased adrenalin when transposed into a live performance, making for some incendiary
concerts. The Bothy Band recorded this set on their first album, The Bothy Band (1975) on Mulligan Records and it became a staple of their live show.
This track, taken from the Afterhours album, recorded live at the Palais Des Arts in Paris in June 1978, captures them at their peak.
From the Mulligan Records CD: The Bothy Band – ‘Afterhours’ / LUN-CD-3030
Trad., arr Bothy Band
Publishing by SGO Music Publishing Ltd. / PRS admin Chrysalis Music Ltd..
© 1978 Mulligan Records. Issued under license from Compass Records Group. www.compassrecords.com
13. JOHN SPILLANE: Johnny Don’t Go to Ballincollig
From Cork City, John Spillane originally cut his musical teeth with rock bands and also played bass with Jazz vocal group, The Stargazers. He
joined the traditional group Nomos in 1993 and featured on two albums with them, I Won’t Be Afraid Anymore and Set You Free. Going solo
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in 1998, he made his first solo album, The Wells of the World, and has since become one
of Ireland’s leading singer/songwriters. His songs have been recorded by Christy Moore,
Niamh Dunne, Solas, and Liam O’Connor and Lisa Aherne. An advocate of Cork as the
Centre of the Universe, his songs, while often locally based, emitted universal sentiments
that endeared him to audiences and ensured his popularity. He mixes topical humour
with florid romanticism, sensitive lyrical slants on relationships and aspects of everyday
life. A practising gaelgoir (Gaelic speaker), his songs have the poetic elements of
traditional ballads, especially those common in the West Cork Gaeltacht area. Recently,
he featured in the TG4 series Spillane an Fánaí where he visited rural towns in Ireland and
worked in pubs, capturing his observations in song, which comprised his album Life in
an Irish Town.
JOHN SPILLANE
Contact: www.johnspillane.com/
– Johnny Don’t Go to Ballincollig is both a humorous song, a warning against the perils of lost love, and a hooded declaration of romantic intent.
The song is set in Ballincollig, a town in North Cork, and mentions the neighbouring areas of Carrigaline, Mallow and the River Blackwater, and
has everyday expressions such as the ‘hole in the wall’ referring to the Irish name for ATM (cash machines). I first heard John sing Johnny Don’t Go
to Ballincollig with the band Nomos in 1994 at the Cork Folk Festival. It has also been recorded by Christy Moore and was originally recorded for
Spillane’s debut solo album, The Wells of the World in 1998. This version is the 2003 remix.
Performed and composed by John Spillane
Published by IMRO / MCPS, John Spillane
Licensed from Verge Management Ltd.
14. SINÉAD O’CONNOR & CHRISTY MOORE: Lord Baker
Sinéad O’Connor has made a career as a singer/songwriter and performer garnering an international audience. A mercurial performer,
she made her musical debut with bands like In Tua Nua and Ton Ton Macoute before signing with Ensign Records in 1987. Highly controversial
and outspoken, she has ploughed a solo furrow, recording rock, folk, reggae and spiritual music of her own design. In 2002 she recorded Sean Nós
Nua, an imaginative recasting of popular Irish folk songs.
Christy Moore, born in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, came from a musical family. His father and mother both sang. In school he formed a ballad group,
The Rakes of Kildare with Donal and Frank Lunny. After working as a bank clerk in Co. Clare, he turned professional musician and toured the UK
folk circuit, making his first album, Paddy on the Road for Mercury Records in 1969. His second album, Prosperous, recorded at home in Co. Kildare,
birthed Planxty and he remained with them until 1974. Having worked solo, Planxty re-formed and he later formed Moving Hearts. Returning to
a solo career in 1983, he has become Irelands leading folk performer, and he tours incessantly while releasing several albums and forming a duo
with ex Horslips and Moving Hearts guitarist Declan Sinnott.
Contact: www.sineadoconnor.com/, www.christymoore.com
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– Lord Baker is an epic ballad of unrequited love and parental indifference – the song was first heard from John Reilly, a travelling singer from
Boyle, Co. Roscommon. Reilly worked as a tinsmith and travelled from country to county, learning songs and gaining a wide and varied repertoire.
He was recorded by Tom Munnelly in Dublin in the late 60s, and his songs were passed on to Christy Moore and Paul Brady among others. John
Reilly’s sole recordings were compiled and issued on vinyl in 1978 by Topic Records, on the album The Bonnie Green Tree which includes his own
version of Lord Baker. Sinéad O’Connor learned her version from Christy Moore, who joins her on this poignant duet from her album Sean Nós Nua.
From the album ‘Sean Nós Nua’
Trad., arr. Sinéad O’Connor / Dónal Lunny / Christy Moore
Published by Warner Chappell / DLM / Perfect Songs / MCPS
Licensed from IML Irish Music Licensing Ltd.
15. THE LONDON LASSES & PETE QUINN: Boys of Belfast / Julia Clifford’s / Reg Hall’s (March / Polkas)
The London Lasses’ existence provides ample proof of the strength of Irish traditional music within the migrant London circles. They are comprised
of all second generation personnel of Irish parentage. Since emerging in 2002, they have brought their music to some of the world’s most prestigious
festivals and concert halls, including Cambridge Folk Festival, the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Glastonbury, Ballyshannon, Philadelphia Irish Festival
and the Royal Albert Hall, where they performed the first ever BBC Proms céilí, as part of the 2008 season. The current line-up comprises Elma
McElligott (flute), Elaine Conwell (fiddle), Karen Ryan (fiddle, banjo), Brona McVittie (harp), Maureen Linane (accordion) with Pete Quinn (piano).
Contact: www.londonlasses.net
– Boys of Belfast is a set from the London Lasses’ album By Night & By Day. It comprises of a march: Boys of Belfast and two polkas Julia Clifford’s
and Reg Hall’s. While played here on the harp, Boys of Belfast is a pipe march that comes from the Orange band tradition of fife-and-drum
combinations. It was included in With Fife and Drum, a collection of tunes from the
Orange repertoire, compiled by Belfast-born Gary Hastings, flautist, Church of Ireland
minister and chaplain at the National University of Ireland, Galway. The two polkas
are composed by Leitrim-born fiddler and composer Charlie Lennon and form part of
a suite called Recollections of Camden Town, commissioned by the Return to Camden
Town Festival for their London youth group The Trad Gathering. The tunes are named
after predominant Irish musicians Julia Clifford, a fiddler from Sliabh Luachra, and Reg
Hall, ethnomusicologist and legendary fiddler and piano accompanist in Irish music
circles in England, and compiler of several albums of early recordings of Irish music
from the 1930s.
Boys of Belfast (trad.), Julia Clifford’s and Reg Hall’s (Charlie Lennon / IMRO)
Arranged by The London Lasses / Karen Ryan / Pete Quinn
Produced, published by and licensed from The London Lasses / Karen Ryan / Pete Quinn
THE LONDON LASSES & PETE QUINN
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16. HORSLIPS: King of the Fairies
Horslips formed in Dublin in 1969 – three of its members working as copywriters
in Arks Advertising. Mixing traditional Irish music with West Coast and Progressive
Rock, they formulated a brand of Celtic Rock that was influential and popular. With
a flamboyant stage show and their dramatic retellings of Irish folk legends, The
Táin and The Book of Invasions in the form of song cycles, Horslips created some
of the finest music in the Celtic Rock genre. Guitarist Johnny Fean, fiddler Charles
O’Connor and Jim Lockhart on keyboards, flute and whistle provided the melodic
nuances of traditional music and the energy of rock and roll. Singer/bassist Barry
Devlin possessed a melodic vocal style and drummer Eamonn Carr locked the
rhythm section into a powerful groove. Between 1971 and 1979 Horslips toured
and recorded extensively, but disbanded in 1980. Re-forming in 2004, they played
sporadically, before returning to full time touring with concerts in Belfast’s Odyssey
Arena and Dublin’s O2 by public demand in 2010. Later they played festivals in
Europe and the UK, including Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in 2011.
HORSLIPS
– King of the Fairies is taken from their Live at the O2 album, recorded at their reunion concert in Dublin, in December 2010. It is a well-known
set dance tune, often used in the teaching of Irish dancing. When speeded up from the slower dance pace, the tune reveals a melodic strength
that acquits itself far beyond the limited confines of dance lessons. Its popularity has been underlined by the number of times it has been
recorded at home and internationally. Horslips use their arrangement to highlight the talents of Charles O’Connor (fiddle), Johnny Fean (guitar)
and Jim Lockhart (keyboards, tin whistles) with solos from each within the ensemble context.
From ‘Live at the O2’
Composed by Carr / Devlin / Fean / Lockhart / O’Connor
Published by Crashed Music
Licensed from IML, Irish Music Licensing Ltd.
Compiled by John O’Regan / Julia Beyer
Liner notes: John O’Regan / Diz Heller
Mastering: Diz Heller
Photos c/o Artists & Licensors
Cover design: Sarah Ash
Typesetting/layout: Sarah Ash
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