A Laois musician, Robert Harvey is one of the best exponents of flute, tin whistle, whistling and lilting in the country. Combining a first-class academic background, wide-ranging teaching experience as well as being a fine live performer, Robert and his brother James are two of the most musical brothers you…
Tommy Fitzharris & Dónal McCague – The Bank of Turf – Album Review
Tommy FitzHarris is a former member of Spink Comhaltas, and is a former All Ireland winner representing Spink. A first class flute and whistle player, he is also a noted concertina performer. On this album with Dónal McCague on the fiddle, he performs all of his instruments. Favourite track is…
Téada – In Spite of the Storm – Album Review
Téada is Gaelic for “strings”. The five members of the band are fiddle player Oisín Mac Diarmada, button accordion player Paul Finn (from Laois), Damien Stenson on flutes and various whistles, Seán Mc Elwain on bouzouki and guitar, and bodhrán player Tristan Rosenstock. A traditional band with a truly worldwide…
Shandrum – The Boss Murphy Musical Legacy – Album Review
In 2015, Cork representatives Shandrum Céilí Band took Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Sligo by storm, winning the first of three back-to-back all-Ireland titles a mere eight months after the group’s formation. Founder and leader is box player Alan Finn, and this album is the band’s second album. This album…
Oisin MacDiarmada & Samantha Harvey – The Green Branch – Album Review
Oisín Mac Diarmada was born in County Clare, and grew up in Crusheen, later moving to Sligo where he is now based. He started playing the fiddle from an early age. This album combines his fiddle expertise with Samantha Harvey on piano and brings an expressive mix of old and…
Bridge Ceili Band – Curlews Over Coolnafearagh – Album Review
The Bridge Céilí Band have entered the Fleadh Cheoil Céilí Band competition twelve times and they have won it six times – 1970, 1973, 1974, 1992, 1996 and 1998; they came second in 1971 and 1995 and third in 1972, 1975, 1990 and 1991. Over the years the personnel of…
We Banjo 3 – Roots of the Banjo Tree – Album Review
Don’t be fooled by the name – there are 4 musicians in this group for a start, and their usual line up combines banjos, mandolins, guitar, fiddle and some bodhran. The band comprises 2 sets of brothers – Enda & Fergal Scahill and Martin & David Howley. With roots originally…
Rhiannon Giddens – Factory Girl – Album Review
This reviewer first listened to Rhiannon Giddens by chance when she was performing a live lock-down session on TG4 earlier this year. Her performance was lilting an Irish Trad tune which is available on this album as “Mouth Music”. Giddens has a really strong and diverse music background and she…
The Blackwater Céili Band – Music in the Valley – Album Review
The Blackwater Céilí Band hails from the Clogher Valley region of County Tyrone, taking its name from the River Blackwater, which flows through the heart of South Ulster. The band was formed in February 2015 and consists of musicians from counties Tyrone, Monaghan, Down and Leitrim. They have become a…
Irish Concertina Ensemble (ICE) – Zero – Album Review
ICE is made up of 5 virtuoso concertina players – Míchael O Raghallaigh, Caitlín Nic Gabhainn, Pádraig Rynne, Edel Fox and Tim Collins. ICE creates a new sonic template for Irish Traditional music. Situating it within this quintet format pioneers an exciting and innovative performance trajectory for the concertina, where…
