SIOBHÁN LONGreviews this week's traditional album...

Gavin Whelan

In Full Flight

Tallaght Records ***

Gavin Whelan is a tin-whistle player who elevated his chosen instrument to rare heights on his 2002 eponymous debut and his 2006 recording, Another Time. This time out, he emerges from the traps with Charlie Lennon's sublime The Leitrim Lilterlike an attention- deficit-disordered firefly. Whelan's rush continues through the jig Gráinne's Welcome, his pace tempered by Colm Murphy's subtle percussion. Gradually though, his cache of whistle tunes finds purchase in earnest. Whelan's best moments are during his slow airs, and in his two piping tunes where he flexes his musical muscle with style. His pairing of Connie O'Connell's The Torn Jacketwith O'Connell's Trip To Parliamentis a masterclass in free-spirited ensemble playing with Donnacha Moynihan on guitar and Peter Eades on keyboards. www.gavinwhelan.com