Get your copies of The Widening Gyre by Altan now!

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“The title The Widening Gyre appeals to us and depicts the spiral of life, widening and embracing the new. It has an innate energy. We think that idea is reflected in the album’s music,” says Mairéad.

Every Altan release is defined by craft and experience. The Widening Gyre is no exception. It just goes to prove that Altan continues to feel the excitement and growth of their music after being together for so many years. Batch mates include Clannad and the Domhnaill siblings (and you see them together in concerts and tours occasionally). Maggie’s Pancakes is the first single off The Widening Gyre which was presented on the RTE One sessions. The music is irresistible which is something that Altan have given us through the years. I have read so many positive reviews and my newsfeed is flowering with links posted by fans of the band.altan-widening-gyre-600

At the centre of this artistic band is the fiddler extraordinaire Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh. I follow her on social media not solely for her talent but also for her advocacy. She is a staunch supporter of causes that matter in Ireland and the world. She is really outspoken with her beliefs. Traditional Irish musicians have been pigeonholed as people who are just mainly concerned with the stye of music that they’re playing – which is reasonable given the kind of discipline that goes to the mastery of the instruments. But this revelation proves that the traditional music community is constantly evolving comprising of people who are forward thinkers and visionaries. It is a great genre with great people around it.

So if you have not yet gotten your copy of The Widening Gyre by Altan, you better get one! The music will embrace you and keep you happy through troubled times.

Are you ready for a giant low-low D concertina?

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Musician Cormac Begley, redefines the Traditional Irish musical instrument with the giant concertina.

This has been circulating round social media that it’s hard to ignore. Concertinas are awesome and I am glad there are artists who are pushing the limits in redesigning the instrument. I think traditional Irish music needs something like this because it adds variety to the mix. Just imagine new traditinal tunes that could be written just for it! Here’s the link to the original article: http://www.thedronenews.org/#!CORMAC-BEGLEY-UNVEILS-NEW-LOWLOW-D-CONCERTINA/c1kod/551c18fc0cf215f35a319658

Father Ray Kelly Has A Moving Singing Style.

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The first time I heared father Ray Kelly, I thought he’s the preaching Elvis Costello. But this Irish priest is more comfortable with the like saving the flock than with fame. I think his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah fresh and spot -on.

He has the pipes of a folk and rock singer. It is worth noting that his debut album is eclectic. You get a Celtic touch with old folk and rock plus something in-betwween for everyone. People call his voice ‘soulful’ but his spiritual influence prevents him from going ‘mainstream’ pop. I think it is a solid combination that will please a lot of listeners. And it is seldom you get something like this in saturated mainstream. He is not like any of the people you hear out there. And I think it is time..

Father Kelly

Father Kelly

Check out the press release below:

FATHER RAY KELLY brings pure, soulful voice to US just in time for Easter 

Father Ray Kelly, the Irish priest who shot to fame on YouTube for his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, makes his major label US debut with the album ‘Where I Belong’, out on Manhattan Records March 17, 2015.

Over 39 million people around the world have fallen in love with Father Ray Kelly since the video of his performance of “Hallelujah” at a wedding first appeared on YouTube in April 2014. After the bride and groom were moved to tears by Father Ray’s adaptation of the song, a wedding guest uploaded the video, which drew more than a million views within a few days. The viral video attracted worldwide attention and led to late night performances on Ireland’s The Late Late Show, as well as radio, documentary and wedding requests from as far as Australia, Brazil, Japan, Chile, Lithuania and Croatia.

Each of the 10 songs on ‘Where I Belong’ showcase Father Ray’s powerful range and clear, “soulful” (Huffington Post) voice. Blurring the line between secular and spiritual, Father Ray’s lofty, ethereal timbre soars over Celtic-infused arrangements featuring acoustic guitar, piano, fiddle and Irish flute on classic ballads (REM’s “Everybody Hurts”, Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven”), Irish folk songs (“O Danny Boy”, “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears”) and hymns (“Amazing Grace”, “How Marvelous”), as well as two original songs, “Together Forever” and the dramatic title track “Where I Belong”.

Recorded at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church and parochial house, where Father Ray presides in the small manufacturing town of Oldcastle, the album features a 200-voice choir comprised of local residents, reflecting the tight-knit community Father Ray has brought together through his music since his appointment as parish priest in 2006. “We have our own Diocesan choir in our church, of 100 people,” says Father Ray, “and we brought in some other choirs as well. [When recording “Amazing Grace” for the album,] I was absolutely mesmerized by the quality of the sound when all 200 voices come together to join the chorus.”

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Interview with Larry Kirwan about his live show at the Cutting Room NYC, St Paddy’s Day Eve.

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Larry Kirwan will be performing live at the Cutting Room NYC St Paddy’s Day Eve. It will be the first since the announcement of doing separate musical projects from Black 47. See the details below:

1. You will be doing  first solo St Paddy’s Day show in NYC! Are you excited?

Sure! Playing on St. Patrick’s Day in NYC is like jumping atop a wild stallion.  You try to guide

it but you usually end up just hanging on and going with the excitement and glow.  I did a solo

show at the Boulton Center in Bay Shore on Saturday and it went really well, so I’m wound up and ready for St. Patrick’s Night.  When I did solo shows during the Black 47 era I usually contrasted the performances – take the solo show down and make it more introspective.  But now I just take the Black 47 fire onstage with me and attack the electric/acoustic Takemine just as I did the Stratocaster for 25 years.

2. Can you share with us your set list? 

I won’t even decide on that until just before going onstage, and even then I’ll change that set list around while onstage.  I have a lot of Black 47 songs to choose from and will re-imagine them, oftentimes adding a bit more of the back story before the actual song; so it’s somewhat a different experience.  People will hear more of the lyrics and perhaps get deeper into the soul of the original song.  I’ll also be doing some songs from my musical Hard Times, and setting the scene back in July 1863.  I’ll probably do a couple of covers.  And there’s a Yeats poem that I set to music about 10 years ago that I’ve never really performed.  We’ll see… but whatever, it will all be fresh.

3. What can we expect from you this year, in terms of live shows and also solo projects?

I’m developing Hard Times for a bigger production up in Toronto so will be up there quite a bit.  I’m also doing a solo show of Foster in the Five Points out in Bergen Community College Theatre in Paramus, NJ on April 16th.  I was commissioned to do that by the Lincoln Library and will probably do more of those shows.  I have a new book coming out in April, A History of Irish Music – and will do some readings from that over the next six months.  I’m also working on a new musical about Iraq that will incorporate a number of the songs from Black 47’s IRAQ CD.  But I will do some strictly solo music shows – I’ve really gotten back into guitar playing again.  I miss the Fender Strat – it was like a part of my body for all the years of Black 47 – but I’m enjoying the acoustic again.  So, onwards and upwards, as the bishop said to the actress!

4. Message to your fans?

“Treat every day as if it’s your last – and one day you’ll be right.”  That’s actually from my friend, Malachy McCourt.  But it’s so true.  On a more personal basis, thank you so much for all your love and support down the years.  Even though Black 47 will no longer play, the spirit of the band will go on.  The songs are still there and I’ll be playing them.

It’s going to be an exciting event. Go to his website for more details: http://www.black47.com

Thank You Fionnghuala

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I’ve been starving for inspiration. I got nothing to write about. One needs to be passionate about something in order to create. I just had this conversation with a Scottish novelist via Facebook. And he remarked that the cure for depression is being able to do something. While we were chatting, I was listening to the second album of The Bothy Band. It’s called Old Hag You Have Killed Me. Remember that one around 1976? It is the album’s second track. I think something happened to my mind when it started to play. It is such a beautiful tune. The accuracy and speed of the rendition is otherworldly. They made their voices into instruments. And they are signing in Gaelic in this recording. I think this is my personal favorite from now on. bothyband371529

The beauty of traditional Irish music is that it is timeless. You could never tell that this album came out in the 70s. It sounds like it’s only recorded this year. You can feel the passion of the band members and how much they have mastered their musicality. It is true though that members Paddy Glackin, Tony MacMahon, Matt Molloy,Paddy Keenan, Dónal Lunny, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, Tommy Peoples and Kevin Burke have already established themselves in the trad scene before joining this band.

I thank The Bothy Band for sparkling my fingers to write again. It is true you can’t give what you don’t have. You can’t write when you don’t hear or see anything that inspires you. I suggest, when you find yourself in the midst of a rut, go listen to anything or go out and see the view outside. There might be something there waiting for you.

You can buy Old Hag You Have Killed Me through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Old-Hag-You-Have-Killed/dp/B0014GFHQQ/ref=pd_bxgy_m_img_y