Some spectacularly good Donegal music has appeared in recent years. This is all in addition to some great recordings that have appeared in the last two decades, The Brass Fiddle (reviewed by someone else here -- external link) and James Byrne's The Road to Glenlough (not to mention Altan's many recordings).
Several reviews are linked below. The recordings are pretty much straight fiddle, or fiddle and light accompaniment (except for the "two Pauls'" recording fiddle, flute, and some accompaniment). My remarks are aimed at Irish style fiddlers and others who have a strong interest in traditional Irish music. I would have reviewed Altan's latest but there are already several reviews available on the web. Here's my review of them: they're wonderful and you should buy them. Another recent recording I can highly recommend (not a fiddle recording) is Dermot Byrne's self-titled release from Green Linnet. He learned many of his tunes from Donegal fiddlers and this shows in his way of playing the button accordian; in any case it is really wonderful music and should be very appealing to fans of Altan and of Donegal music (and indeed of Irish traditional music generally).
I hope to add some more reviews sometime soon, because Donegal fiddle fans have been treated to a number of new releases. We are lucky to have another recording of the Pure Drop from Donegal, from the great Danny O'Donnell, a CD called Ón tSean-Am Anall. Altan has a new CD out (Another Sky), Cairdeas has (actually quite a while ago now) released the second and third volumes of The Fiddle Music of Donegal, and Donegal fiddler Liz Doherty has a solo CD out called Last Orders. Also, rumor has it Paddy Glackin and Micheal O Domhnaill are soon to release a new recording!
If you know of any other recordings that have been released recently or soon will be, please drop Larry Sanger a line at blarneypilgrim (a t) yahoo (d o t) com.
Tommy Peoples, Waiting for a Call
Tommy's latest outing is as good, or nearly as good, as anything he's done, combining tracks from the mid-80s with material recorded more recently.
P. V. O'Donnell, Reflections
The fiddler with Barley Bree, a Donegal man now living in Connecticut, in a solo recording that shows his Donegal roots--definitely something to celebrate.
Matt McGranaghan, Goldfiddle
An eclectic, bravura display of talent and musicianship from a young Donegal fiddler.
Brief reviews
Brief reviews of some of the most important Donegal and Donegal-related
material to appear lately: The Fiddle Music of Donegal, Vols.
2 and 3; Ón tSean-Am Anall by the great Danny O'Donnell;
Last Orders by Prof. Liz Doherty; and Reprise by Paddy
Glackin and Micheal O Domhnaill.
A Dossan of Heather: Irish Traditional
Music from Packie Manus Byrne
Compiled and edited by Jean Duval and Stephen Jones. A collection
of lovely and unusual tunes
from the tin whistle playing of old-time singer and storyteller,
Packie Manus Byrne
Danny Meehan, Navvy on the Shore
Finally, a solo CD from the great Donegal/London fiddler, Danny
Meehan.
Donegal fiddlers will find much to love and appreciate here.
Paul O'Shaughnessy, Stay Another While
A brilliant first solo album from one of the finest players
in the tradition.
Reviewed by Caoimhin Mac Aoidh.
Tommy Peoples, The Quiet Glen
The newest addition to any Donegal fiddler's CD collection, a
beautiful new offering from the brilliant Peoples.
Reviewed by Ted Hastings.
John Doherty, The Floating Bow
A fine posthumous release from the old master.
The Donegal Fiddle
Excellent playing from old Donegal fiddlers, from the RTÉ
archives.
The Fiddle Music of Donegal Vol. 1
Excellent playing from living Donegal fiddlers, recorded at the
Summer School.
Paul McGrattan and Paul O'Shaughnessy, Within
a Mile of Dublin
A great fiddle and flute pairing; fiddler O'Shaughnessy used to
play with Altan and Altan fans should enjoy this.
Cairdeas na bhFidléirí, An Ceol
Tunebooks and Tutor Tapes
Two tunebooks, total 197 tunes, and "tutor tapes" worth
listening to even if you aren't learning the tunes. The best
thing to happen to written Donegal fiddle music since The
Northern Fiddler.
Of course I will be happy to review any recordings you send me, as long as they have a connection to the traditional music of County Donegal. Please help keep me apprised of new Donegal musical developments. My thanks to Claddagh and Cairdeas, as well as others, for the review copies they sent. The reviews written by Larry Sanger (all those not marked otherwise) are copyright 1996-2004.
[Back to the "Fiddlers and Their Music" page] [Back to the Donegal Fiddling Homepage]