Around the time of Saint Patrick’s Day in mid March, you see shamrocks and green popping up in all sorts of places. It is a time when people who do not think about Ireland the rest of the year, along side those who do, may be raising a glass or otherwise joining in the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint, and Ireland itself.
At Patrick season and through the year. music is an excellent way to celebrate and learn about the many facets of Ireland, its people, its history, and its landscape.
Consider the work of these musicians to get you started and to continue your journey into Ireland this Patrick season. Following the links I have include will lead you to further information about each album.
On the their recording Heart of the Home, Cherish the Ladies offer a collection of song and tune based, as you might expect from the title, around well loved places. These include a set of tunes by Joanie Madden honoring her father’s home town in Galway, a reflective song with lead from Kate Purcell about a place in Donegal, and another Madden composed piece called Farewell to the Catskills.
When Madden and guitarist Mary Coogan joined up with other daughters of Irish immigrants to start Cherish the Ladies, Irish women musicians were not widely known, and especially not widely known as instrumentalists. though there were plenty of them working.
Though it was not an easy road, Cherish did much to change that low profile. Madden, on flutes and whistles and Mary Coogan on guitar, bouzouki, and banjo are joined these days by Mirella Murray on accordion, Kathleen Boyle on piano, Nollaig Casey on fiddle, and Kate Purcell on vocals and guitar. They often invite guests to join in. Nathan Carter, for instance, sings lead on the title track of Heart of the Home.
The line up of Cherish has changed over the years -- the band has been part of the careers of Heidi Talbot, Eileen Ivers, Aoife Clancy, and Cathie Ryan to mention several. The band always offers top class music and, in performance, top class audience engagement as well. Heart of the Home is a fine place to discover or continue your exploration of the work of Cherish the Ladies, and of Irish music.
You may have heard John Doyle’s work even if you do not know his name; a top guitarist and arranger, he has worked and toured with Joan Baez, Alison Brown, Cathie Ryan, Michael McGoldrick, Mary Black, and many others whose names you would recognize.
Doyle is also an excellent singer, composer, and songwriter, aspects of his career which come to the fore on his album The Path of Stones. Whether Doyle is offering original songs, reworking traditional pieces, ot joining with musical friends in top class collaboration, his work on The Path of Stones offers a fine path into the ongoing story of Irish music.
Singer, composer and flute player Nuala Kennedy grew up near Ireland’s east coast, in Louth. These days she is based in Clare, near the west coast. Kennedy’s connection to the waters of Ireland is one of the aspects that runs through the music she’s chosen and composed for her album Shorelines.
Kennedy also offers reflection on the changes that occur in women’s lives and the the resiliences required to live through those changes.
Shorelines is a fine mix including song and tune, original pieces, work form contemporary writers, music that draws on tradition.
With Through Wind and Rain, Cathie Ryan offers other ideas on Ireland’s music, both from tradition and newly composed.
Ryan is a singer and songwriter, daughter of Irish immigrants to the US who has been living in Ireland for many years. These things inform her musical choices and creativity. Resilience, love, friendship, dashes of humour, connections of family, inspiration for present and future -- there’s a lot going on, sure, all illuminated by Ryan’s distinctive voice and clear musical understanding.
Part of Ryan’s background in Irish music includes a number of years as the first lead singer with Cherish the Ladies -- you met them above -- and learning the sean nos tradition of Irish song from several tradition bearers of this style of Irish language song which involves creative work by the singer within a storytelling tradition.
Growing up in the west Kerry Gaeltacht, with Irish as her first labnuage, Muireamm Nic Amhlaoibh learned the sean nos tradition too. It has influenced both her singing and her flute playing.
“Here, everyone has a song,” she has said, “ but they don’t call it sean nos, they just call it singing!”
Through her years as lead singer and flute player with the traditional band Danu and into her solo career, Nic Amhlaoibh has at times included some of these old songs, big songs as they are known, in her concerts.
As Nic Amhaoibh was thinking about what might be next for her after lockodwn restrictions ended, her friend producer and instrumentalist Donal O’Connor asked “What would be your dream gig?”
Maybe something with strings, she thought, a string quartet...
Why not go bigger, O’ Connor suggested/ Why not have an orchestra?
The Irish Chamber Orchestra is known for connecting classical and traditional music; the Kilkenny Music Festival is adventurous in its artistic approach as well.Six contemprary Irish composers were asked to arrange the music.
The resulting joining of musical ideas saw tth creation of Roisin Reimagined. Nic Amhlaoibh’s voice centers the music; the chamber orchestra’s musicians are joined by a small group of players of uillean pipes, harp, fiddle, and other traditional instrument, brought together by O’Connor’s production (he plays fiddle and harmonium on the project as well).
Even if Irish in not one of your languages, you will hear melodies that seem familiar, and emotions that will come clear. Roisin Reimagoned might inspire you to further exploration; that is part of what the musicians wish.
That is part of what all these musicians wish, in fact: that their work brings you inspiration in the present and connection to further adventures.
These recordings will stand you in good stead as you begin or continue your exploration of Irish music and of Ireland.
I will be bringing you more about those explorations here Along the Music Road.
Thank you for reading and exploring.
Nuala Kennedy’s Saltwater / Flow has been one of my go-tos since first seeing Nuala live at the East Durham Irish Arts Week last summer. “Shorelines” is just a great album. All of these albums identified are great. Well done!!!!