Coolfin - Donal Lunny

Advantages: lovely listening
Disadvantages: ?

...I first heard the band Altan in the 80’s at a festival somewhere; I saw them a few years ago in Hemel Hempstead. I have been listening to the CD Island Angel today. I like this Celtic folk rock, I find it calming and soothing the reels lively making me tap my fingers and want too dance. Altan are Mairead Mhaonaigh playing fiddle and vocals, Frankie Kennedy Flute, low whistle, backing vocals, Mark Kelly, guitar, backing vocals Ciaran Curran, Bazouki, bazouki guitar. Ciaran Tourish, Fiddle, backing vocals Daithi Sproule, guitar, backing vocals Guest musicians on Island Angel are Dermot Byrne Donal Lunny Tommy Hayes Steve Cooney Niel Martin Anna Ni Mhaonaigh This C D was recorded in Dublin in1993. Island angel has 13 tracks. The first one is three reels Tommy Peoples, The Windmill and Finian Mc... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful renditions of traditional songs. Fantastic powerful singing.
Disadvantages: None.

...are new to Sinead O'Connor and have no great affinity to Irish Folk try it anyway. If you like a beautiful song there are many of these here. And they are not presented in the 'finger in the ear' nasal folk style that may have put you off Irish songs before. Also Sinead has collected together some top Irish musicians. There is Ireland's formeost bouzouki player Donal Lunny, Steve Wickham of the Waterboys on fiddle and Sharon Shannon on accordion. The instrumental backings on all of the songs are superb. The tracks are as follows:- 1. Peggy Gordon The album starts with the soft breathy style that O'Connor often employs. This is a beautiful rendition of this classic song. 2. Her mantle so green The rather odd story of a man who returns from war to meet his sweetheart but hides his identity and pretends he has died. Weird lyric... Read review

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Advantages: Great whistle playing by a native Gael
Disadvantages: None

..., and several of these tunes are his own compositions. He is joined by the multi-talented Manus Lunny of Capercaillie on the bouzouki, guitar, keyboards, and bodhran, Michael McGoldrick (also of Capercaillie) on the flute, Steven Campbell on the fiddle and viola, John Michael O Donnell on the guitar, and Joe's son, Joe Og, on the flute. Seosamh is extremely grateful for their help and support, and we can all be grateful to them as well for producing this excellent album of traditional Irish music. -- Seamus mac an tailleur... Read review

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