The Rough Guide to Irish Music: Second Edition

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The Rough Guide's second foray into Ireland's diverse music scene commences with a feisty instrumental by Flook and compiler Geoff Wallis somehow keeps up the momentum through all 22 tracks and 70 minutes. It is obviously impossible to be comprehensive within a single CD, but Wallis has a fine ear for neo-trad artists who share an unstuffy pub-session esthetic, if not much else. Frankie Gavin¹s scratchy, athletic, sweet-sour fiddle remains as satisfying as it was during his De Dannan days. The Prodigals' The Morning After is at once rueful, funny and poetic. Gerry O'Connor's lightning-fast banjo would sound right at home in American bluegrass. But even amid such remarkable company, Aran Islands-born Lasairfhíona ní Chonaola (pronounced La-sah-reena Nee Hun-kneel-ah) is revealed as a singer of overwhelming power. On the Irish-language ballad, Bean Pháidin (Pháidin's Wife), she vents all the cold fury of a girl whose beloved has married another woman. --Christina Roden

Product Description
Music has always been an essential part of Irish culture, and the musical traditions of Ireland – focused around pub sessions – remain amongst Europe’s most enduring and vibrant. Songs (sung in Irish and English) hold a special place in Irish life and exemplify the vivacity of the Irish singing tradition and its wide range of subjects. This all-new second edition of The Rough Guide To Irish Music provides an extensive introduction to Ireland’s musical landscape, from the driving music of Donegal and the foot-stomping polkas and slides of Kerry and Cork to the work of those exploring the borders between traditional music and other genres.

Tracks:

G.D.'s: Hooper's Loop/Pressed For Time - Flook
An T-Ull - Dervish
The Night Cap/ The Frost Is All Over - Frankie Gavin
Liostail Me Le Sairsint - Donal Lunny
The Morning After - The Prodigals
Paddy Killoran's Highland/ Hannah Mhici Mhicheail's - Seamus Quinn
Antara/ The Twirly Haired Girl/ The Mountain Road - Paddy Keenan
Bean Phaidin/ Paidin's Wife - Lasairfhiona Ni Chonaola
Loughisle Castle - Dermot McLaughlin
Slieve Gallion Braes - Mary McPartlan
Hughie Travers/ The Cat In The Corner - Seamus Creagh
Mary And The Soldier - Paul Brady
A Stor Mo Chroi/ The Primrose Lass/ Miss McGovern's Favourite - Matt Molloy
An Seanduine - Seamus Begley
Polkas (Callaghan's/ The Glen Cottage/ Is Trua Gan Peata An Mhaoir Agam) - North Cregg
Taimse 'N Arrears - CRAN
The Cuil Aodha Slide/ Dan Patsy's Slide/ The Toormore Slide - Paul Moran
The Walrus - Lunasa
As I Roved Out - Helen Roche
The Lark On The Strand/ The Geese In The Bog/ The Eavesdropper - Paul McGrattan
The Humours Of Castlefin/ Nia's Dance/ An Duidin - Altan
Cam A' Lochaigh (The Curve Of The Lake) - Gerry O'Connor

Amazon.com

The Rough Guide's second foray into Ireland's diverse music scene commences with a feisty instrumental by Flook and compiler Geoff Wallis somehow keeps up the momentum through all 22 tracks and 70 minutes. It is obviously impossible to be comprehensive within a single CD, but Wallis has a fine ear for neo-trad artists who share an unstuffy pub-session esthetic, if not much else. Frankie Gavin¹s scratchy, athletic, sweet-sour fiddle remains as satisfying as it was during his De Dannan days. The Prodigals' The Morning After is at once rueful, funny and poetic. Gerry O'Connor's lightning-fast banjo would sound right at home in American bluegrass. But even amid such remarkable company, Aran Islands-born Lasairfhíona ní Chonaola (pronounced La-sah-reena Nee Hun-kneel-ah) is revealed as a singer of overwhelming power. On the Irish-language ballad, Bean Pháidin (Pháidin's Wife), she vents all the cold fury of a girl whose beloved has married another woman. --Christina Roden

Album Description

Music has always been an essential part of Irish culture, and the musical traditions of Ireland - focused around pub sessions - remain amongst Europe's most enduring and vibrant. Songs (sung in Irish and English) hold a special place in Irish life and exemplify the vivacity of the Irish singing tradition and its wide range of subjects. This all-new second edition of The Rough Guide To Irish Music provides an extensive introduction to Ireland's musical landscape, from the driving music of Donegal and the foot-stomping polkas and slides of Kerry and Cork to the work of those exploring the borders between traditional music and other genres.

Customer Reviews:

Where is the modern music?.......2005-04-27

The music on this CD is good, but listeners will be led to think that Irish music has not evolved at all since the 1950s. There are plenty of Irish singers and musicians releasing their own excellent material these days in all genres, especially rock, pop, cabaret and singer-songwriter. The CD would be better if some of them were included.

Excellent up-to-date guide.......2005-04-21

Subtitled "Dublin to Donegal: essential sessions & evolving traditions" this is a generous selection of Irish roots folk music, with none of the more commercial or country-orientated numbers that often invade this type of CD collections. OK, maybe The Prodigals' The Morning After is a bit corny, but otherwise this is good traditional stuff.

There are many important names here so it is certainly is a good guide for newcomers, while seasoned folkies will appreciate the overall quality and likely find some favourites. Plus there's more than a couple of really fine artists here that I for one hadn't even heard of (and I'm pretty well versed in Irish trad). Unlike many Irish Folk compilations this is not just old material either - Lunasa's contribution is taken from their most recent album The Kinnitty Sessions and Altan's comes from their forthcoming album. Can't get much more up to date than that.

The who's who includes Frankie Gavin, Dervish, Maighread & Triona Ni Dhonhnaill, Donal Lunny, Paddy Keenan, Seamus Creagh, Aidan Coffe, Paul Brady, Matt Molloy, Seamus Begley, Jim Murray, Cran, Lunasa, Altan & Gerry O'Connor.

There's a balanced mix of songs and instrumentals, fast and slow, with an emphasis on excitement and feel rather than standards. This is indeed an excellent guide to Irish music.

Rock Music:

Rock Music

rock music

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