Andy Irvine's nine-day tour of the United States began last Friday and will be taking him through Michigan, Massachusetts, Maine, and New York (see www.andyirvine.com for details).  Regular readers of the column will know that I’m not generally in the habit of announcing tours, but it’s a post Irvine made to…

“Stone Walls & Street Lights” is the new album by New Road, a group that features Leonard Barry (uilleann pipes & whistles), Rick Epping (harmonica, concertina, 5-string banjo, jaws harp & vocals), Andy Morrow (fiddle) and Seamie O’Dowd (guitar, mandolin, fiddle & vocals).  A mix of songs and instrumental music, it’s an incredibly strong album…