Tag Archives: Irish music

Graham O’Callaghan’s In This Heart

This CD oozes self-confidence. Who but a self confident singer would include household songs like “Banks of the Bann,” “Lovely Joan” and “Flandyke Shore” on an album without trying to remake the songs? Just the prospect of doing “Flandyke Shore” … Continue reading

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Childsplay’s Childsplay Live

Before encountering the phenomenon that is Childsplay, the name meant little more than a pretty moniker for a Celtic band. Hearing Childsplay for the first time and finding out the meaning behind the story has been a fascinating experience. For … Continue reading

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Dropkick Murphys’ Live on St. Patrick’s Day

I suppose if you want to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, this album might just do it for you. I had heard some good reports about this band from my youngest son, who has seen them live at … Continue reading

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Dropkick Murphys’ The Warrior’s Code

Dropkick Murphys for nearly a decade now have been making an energetic blend of hardcore punk and Irish folk music, with a vigorous dose of Boston pride thrown in. It’s something like The Pogues with more rock and lyrics you … Continue reading

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The Whisky Priests’ Think Positive, and Bloody Well Live!

The Whisky Priests were formed in 1985 by twins Gary and Glenn Miller. Since then they have released a multitude of records and toured extensively in both the UK and in the rest of Europe. Think Positive is their latest … Continue reading

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Niall Toner Band’s There’s a Better Way

Dublin’s Niall Toner has been called the father of Irish bluegrass music. Certainly, his dedication to playing and preserving American folk and old time music has proven both a vocation and a calling card. Having played for four decades with … Continue reading

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Ben Sands’ Take Your Time, and Roots & Branches

Judith Gennett wrote this review. Ben Sands, from the legendary Sands Family, is from Newry, County Down in Northern Ireland. He sings and sometimes writes gentle songs that can have a punch beyond their subtlety. These two albums Take Your … Continue reading

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Celtic Fiddle Festival’s Play On, Drones & Bellows/Dragseth Duo’s Hiimstoun, Smoky Finish’s Tune the Speed, various artists’ The Independence Suite, and various artists’ A Highland Journey in Music

Alistair Brown wrote this review. Play On is the fourth release from a group of musicians who had no real intention of continuing as such beyond a one-off concert series in 1993. The project featured three of the Celtic world’s … Continue reading

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Kevin Burke’s In Concert

No’am Newman wrote this review. This recording was made over the course of two evenings shortly before Christmas 1998 in Portland, Oregon, which is where the London-born Sligo-style fiddler Burke has lived for the past twenty years. Although Burke has … Continue reading

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Gearóid Ó h Allmhuráin’s Pocket History of Irish Traditional Music

Chuck Lipsig wrote this review. Here’s a neat little book. Gearóid Ó h Allmhuráin manages to compress a history of Irish music into just over 150 pages and does it clearly and cleanly. I have an aficionado’s knowledge, not a … Continue reading

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