Each of these recordings is important in its own way and deserves some mention on these pages. I would be delighted if some capable reviewer would contribute a longer review of any of these. In no particular order, then...
The Fiddle Music of Donegal, Volume 2 (Cairdeas Recordings CNF 002, 1999)
In a format similar to Volume 1 of this series, this CD features fine playing from Vincent Campbell, Maurice Bradley, Stephen Campbell, Roisin McGrory and Damian Harrigan (playing together), James Byrne, and Ronan Galvin. Vincent Campbell and James Byrne are, of course, two of the great living Donegal fiddlers, and for their tracks of highlands, hornpipes, and reels alone, this CD is worth the money. But the playing from the others is excellent as well: Maurice Bradley's old-sounding style (though he's not old himself), Roisin McGrory and Damian Harrigan's sweet, precise duet playing, and Ronan Galvin's slow and again, sweet playing of old settings of tunes. No doubt we all have our favorites among the three CDs of this series, but this one happens to be my favorite--of course, I love them all and they're all indispensible to anyone interested in the Donegal style.
The Fiddle Music of Donegal, Volume 3 (Cairdeas Recordings CNF 003, 2000)
The players here are Dermot McLaughlin, John Byrne, Derek McGinley, Matthew McGranahan, Jimmy Campbell, and Peter Campbell. This is a slight departure from the earlier versions, in that the players, with the exception of Jimmy Campbell (who appeared on Vol. 1 and is brother of Vincent and father of Peter), were all under 40 years old at the time of the recording, and two of the players were teenagers. The styles, for the most part, are nonetheless very traditional, a description that goes for the youngest player here, Derek McGinley; Derek's playing was already at a very high level despite his being of (at the time of the recording) the tender age of 15. He and John Byrne (in his 20s) are both from the Glencolmcille area and show the influence of James Byrne. Indeed, there's no mediocre playing here. Matthew McGranaghan, another teenager, has a lively and already accomplished style; he's the only player here who doesn't concentrate on Donegal repertoire. Jimmy Campbell of course has a great old style that he has passed on to his son Peter. The CD begins with Dermot McLaughlin, one of the most woefully under-recorded Irish fiddlers, and one of the greatest living fiddlers. He does a great job here and we are even treated to two tracks of tunes played on a tin fiddle--the tone being much sweeter and smoother than one might expect.
It's a great tribute the strength of the Donegal tradition to be able to say that Cairdeas na bhFidileiri is far from scraping the bottom of the barrell of the Donegal tradition. Among the fine Donegal fiddlers still actively playing, but which have not been recorded in the series, are Peter Carr, Liz Doherty, Seamus Gibson, the Glackins (Kevin, Paddy, and Seamus), Brid Harper, Frank Kelly, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, Tommy Peoples, and Ciaran Tourish--just to name a few.
Danny O'Donnell, Ón tSean-Am Anall (Raidio na Gaeltachta RTE233, 2000)
Danny O'Donnell is one of the great fiddlers of the Donegal tradition--one of the first to record commercially. This recording proves that his talents were still vibrant decades after the 78 era. While there is some Donegal material here (sourced from Danny's friend the great Neillidh Boyle), much of it comes from sources outside the tradition, such as Paddy Killoran. The playing here bears the trademarks of Danny's playing--sweetness and precision, and not too fast. Accompanied tastefully Sean Con Johnny on guitar. Obviously another essential item for Donegal fiddle enthusiasts! (My only complaint is that there isn't a word of English--strictly Irish--in the liner notes!)
Liz Doherty, Last Orders (Foot Stompin' Records CDFSR1702, 1999)
Liz Doherty hails from Buncrana and is now a lecturer at the University College Cork in addition to being a fine fiddler in the traditional idiom. Her style is very lively and happy and is characterized by the staccato playing and triplets found in the playing of other Donegal fiddlers; but she has influences from elsewhere, no doubt from Cape Breton, the fiddling tradition of which she has researched extensively. Most of the tunes on this composition are recent compositions; there's only one traditional Donegal tune on the CD, in fact. Nonetheless there are some nice tunes here, played well, with backing on piano, guitar, and bodhran.
Paddy Glackin and Micheal O Domhnaill, Reprise (Athchuairt in Irish) (Gael-Linn CEFCD 180, 2001)
No great surprise that the playing and singing here is at the very highest level; Paddy and Micheal do not disappoint. As usual, Paddy's playing is crisp, driving, very precise, and very tuneful. There are a couple of Donegal tunes: "Australian Waters" and "The Wedding Jig," both now recorded by multiple sources. Don't pick the CD up, however, if what you're looking for is reel after reel; in fact, there are only two sets of reels out of 11 tracks; there are also jigs, hornpipes, slides, three songs, and two airs. Paddy and Micheal are joined by Noel Hill (concertina), Mairtin O'Connor (accordion), and Paddy Keenan (low whistle and pipes) on various tracks, and there is a variety of backing, from minimal (i.e., none) to quite a lot: bass, keyboards, cello, double bass, percussion, alto flutes, bodhran. They deliver the goods.
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