If fiddle music is your cultural fix then this release by Therese McInerney may just get you through whatever challenges you are facing in life. It is music to lift the spirits.

Down the Strand is her debut album, and the promise shown in her…

It is no surprise that one of the best traditional albums of late, once again features concertina. This debut release by Co Clare musician Florence Fahy stands shoulder to shoulder with the best that Clare has to offer. The concertina more than any instrument seems to capture the essence of the music, and Florence Fahy, now…

The seeds for this remarkable album were sown many years ago when Cormac Begley recorded a duet album with Jack Talty called Na Fir Bolg.

That album, recorded in St. Nicholas Collegiate Church, Galway, was a revelation.  For this solo outing, Cormac is back in the same church with Jack Talty on the recording and mixing…

Taking older and simpler tunes and finding new avenues of expression, is at the heart of North, a very fine collection of fiddle music from Belfast-born musicians Conor Caldwell and Danny Diamond.

Last year Diamond released an acclaimed solo fiddle album called…

'Inspired by Chance' is the latest release by a band that have always had a very distinctive sound.  The fresh and spacious approach to their arrangements, the free roving banjo of James Harvey, and the duets within tracks set them apart. Reflective interludes and melodies that momentarily suspend in mid-air, in search of wider vistas…

Louth band Kern have delivered a debut album of real merit with False Deceiver.

It is so difficult these days to make a traditional folk album that stands out from the crowd, and that is what Kern have unquestionably achieved in this instance.

What drives it is a combination of many…

It seems fitting that a centuries old church on the back roads of North County Dublin should be brought to life on a Saturday night with music which is nearly as old. The Church is St. David’s in Kilsallaghan and the backdrop to the stage was a stained glass window donated 99 years ago this April by the family of a churchwarden who…

This debut release by Dublin folk singer Aoife Scott delivers a very satisfying mix of new material alongside some equally admirable covers. The pressure of being part of the Black family with mother, Frances, and aunt, Mary, having established such strong reputations before her, seems not to have affected her approach.…

Rooska Hill by Éamonn O’Riordan and Tony O’Connell, is without doubt one of the highlights of 2015. It is about as good as it gets, when it comes to a traditional recording, and it captures the vibrancy and authenticity that can elude many an artist.…

This is just the tonic for any weary souls that are in need of a shot of inspiration. Dessie Kelliher, Brian O’Loughlin and Tom Delany effortlessly glide their way through nine inspiring sets of traditional music. No filler, no songs, just straight up trad.

It comes complete with the…

Harp music seems to be making a resurgence of late, in a manner that is lifting it from its stately ‘airs and graces’ perception.  This new release by Tríona Marshall shows just how far boundaries can be pushed.  Listen to the opening track on this recording, a duet with Tim Edey,…

You have to admire We Banjo 3.  Each project or recording they make continues to impress. In releasing a live album they needed to differentiate it from their studio recordings, and to do this they introduced a brass section and invited some friends along for the party.  Recorded live at The Roisin Dubh, Galway, the resultant album is full of…

This is a compelling collection of new songs, by Conor O'Sullivan, an artist that first came to prominence with folk outfit Deluce's Patent, some years back. An undertaking to lay down some demo tracks grew into a full-blown album. This may have reduced the pressure, and the resultant album has that air of quiet confidence about…

Across the Sound is the latest recording from Inis Mór residents Oisín and Conal Hernon. They have previously recorded in 2008 on an album called Up and Coming / Ó Ghlúin go Glúin. This however is different, as it comprises all new compositions from the brothers. We…

We have become so oversupplied with great albums of late that many are quietly slipping through with little fanfare.  This is the first studio album from a trio that have been busy crafting their music in Dublin’s Temple Bar area on a weekly basis. Featuring Eugene Quinn on guitar and banjo, Ray Dempsey on accordion and Colm Keane on…

Combining elements of solo fiddle of the most exquisite kind, with high energy numbers, delivers one of this year’s best traditional albums.  The album shifts between solo excursions that display Bríd’s unquestioned talent, with larger ensemble numbers that are as good as any you will hear.  Her team of players include John Doyle, Seán Óg Graham, Trevor Hutchinson, John…

Out of the fertile ground of Sligo comes this recording that combines banjo and box for the first time, in quite a while.  The sparring partners are Luton born, and now Sligo resident, Kerrie Herrity on banjo, and Sligo native Kenny Donagher.

Within the 14 tracks there is a scattering of familiar…

It takes four stalwarts of the tradition to lead the way when it comes to unearthing a magical and fresh sounding album.  Jackie Daly, Séamus and Manus McGuire and Garry O’Briain have travelled extensively over the years. The origins of the group are very much connected with North America, and this influences their material and…

There is a hidden depth to this debut album by All-Ireland Champion fiddler, Lisa Ward.  The clarity and versatility of her ornamentation in particular stands out. She includes only two solo fiddle tracks, which open and close the album, and they are gritty and stark in their setting, revealing the expressive nature of her playing. They include The…

Teresa Horgan and Matt Griffin have crafted a delicious slice of folk heaven on this debut recording.  Its instant appeal comes from the addition of some well-orchestrated arrangements with strings and woodwind.  Even so, without this extra element it would still be a good folk album. With it, however, you have the best…