Tag Archives: Irish trad music

An omnibus review of books about music and musicians: Bagpipers, Deadheads, Joni Mitchell, Gilbert and Sullivan, and more

Posted on 18th February 2023 by Jack Merry

Anthony Baines’s Bagpipes (Pitt River Museum, Oxford University, 1995) Kevin McManus’s Ceilis, Jigs & Ballads: Irish Music in Liverpool (Liverpool Institute of Popular Music, 1994) Tomás Ó Canain’s Traditional Music in Ireland (Ossian Publications, 1993) Mairéad Sullivan’s Celtic Women in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on An omnibus review of books about music and musicians: Bagpipers, Deadheads, Joni Mitchell, Gilbert and Sullivan, and more

Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill, Triona Ni Dhomhnaill and Donal Lunny’s Idir an Da Sholas (Between the Two Lights)

Posted on 13th November 2016 by Diverse Voices

Brendan Foreman penned this review. One half of this duo of sisters is actually quite prominent in the world of Irish traditional music. Triona Dhomhnaill was a founding member of three of the most important modern-day Celtic musical groups: the Bothy … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill, Triona Ni Dhomhnaill and Donal Lunny’s Idir an Da Sholas (Between the Two Lights)

Dervish’s decade

Posted on 28th October 2016 by Diverse Voices

Brendan Foreman penned this review. Since forming in 1989, Dervish has been building a reputation as one of the premiere neo-traditionalist Irish bands. Emphasizing competence and musicianship over pyrotechnics and novelty, the music of Dervish is really as good as the Irish … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Dervish’s decade

Dervish’s at the end of the day 

Posted on 16th October 2016 by Diverse Voices

Brendan Foreman penn this review. By the time they recorded end of the day, Dervish had honed its sound to a rather fine edge. It is clear that years of playing have paid off, resulting in nuanced, even stately ensemble-playing. Their … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on Dervish’s at the end of the day 

Liam Clancy’s The Mountain of the Women: Memoirs of an Irish Troubadour

Posted on 16th October 2016 by Diverse Voices

This is the autobiography of Liam Clancy, the youngest member of the Irish folk music group, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.  Liam and The Clancy Brothers were responsible for making Irish Folk Music and Aran sweaters a fad in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Music | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Liam Clancy’s The Mountain of the Women: Memoirs of an Irish Troubadour

In My Father’s Time’s Traditional Irish Storytelling

Posted on 2nd October 2016 by Diverse Voices

Mattie Lennon penned this essay. It was 1959. The National Council for The Blind of Ireland gave my visually impaired mother a wireless. It was our first radio. At the time my contemporaries were clued in to the highlights of Radio … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on In My Father’s Time’s Traditional Irish Storytelling

And Reels: Johnny Cock/Johnny O’Braidslea  

Posted on 16th August 2016 by Diverse Voices

Chuck Lipsig penned this essay. One of the fascinating things about folk music is the variety that one song or tune can produce. Niggling purism aside, there has never been one folk style. That’s even more true these days with musicians … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Music | Tagged | Comments Off on And Reels: Johnny Cock/Johnny O’Braidslea  

An Irish Trad Music Remembrance: Mícheál Ó’Domhnaill, 1952-2006

Posted on 15th June 2016 by Diverse Voices

John O’Regan from Northern Ireland penned this remembrance. Sudden deaths bring a sense of finality. With the news of the death of Mícheál Ó’Domhnaill, who left this world suddenly on Saturday July 8th, 2006 in his Dublin home at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Comments Off on An Irish Trad Music Remembrance: Mícheál Ó’Domhnaill, 1952-2006

An Irish trad music obit: Mícheál Ó Domhnaill is dead

Posted on 15th June 2016 by Zina Lee

Ah, sad news. Mícheál Ó Domhnaill is dead. It’s far too early; he was far too young. I never met the man, yet he is and likely always will be an inextricable part of the fabric of my life–the impact … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | Comments Off on An Irish trad music obit: Mícheál Ó Domhnaill is dead

An Irish Music story: House Sessions

Posted on 15th June 2016 by Zina Lee

Zina Lee here. Probably my favorite kind of Irish music sessions are house sessions, where musicians are invited over to someone’s house for an evening of tunes and perhaps a few songs if there’re any singers along, and of course lots … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged | Comments Off on An Irish Music story: House Sessions