The MacNamara Family: "Leitrim's Hidden Treasure" (Drumlin Records) If the family that plays together stays together, you'll never sunder the MacNamaras from South Leitrim, nor their taut, forthright renditions of tunes from local musicians (John Blessing), or the 19th-century Grier manuscript. From the latter they play, as notated, the ornate setting of Sile Ni Ghadhra; or Enda's fiddle on the four-part Morgan's Hornpipe. From the bright tonal unison of the session sets, backed by bouncy old-style piano, folky guitar or dulcimer, they carve up other pairings: Enda and Deirdre's concertina; the stabbed phrasing of the flutes; the wild stereo of the uileann pipes duet. This 70-odd minute album is best taken in small chunks, but with the clarity of the tempo, it's a great repository of accessible tunes and local variants.
By Mic Moroney
Sean Whelan & others: "End of Autumn" (Malgamu Music) There's an interesting groove to some of the more upbeat tracks on this wandery instrumental folk album from this West Cork-based guitarist, joined here by artistes such as flautist Emer Mayock, mandolinist/fiddler Paul Kelly (who also has an album out on this new label) and Breton accordionist Michel Philippot. Some of the cascading guitar rhythms cough up ghosts of Scullion, but Whelan does a good job of transposing dance tunes on to the guitar, like parts of the Broken Pledge set (which lets Mayock out for a walk), or O'Farrell's Welcome to Limerick. It's also interesting to hear Dave Brubeck's Blue Rondo A La Turk warped in the direction of a slip jig, let alone Whelan's taste for gypsy tunes. Generally moody and worth a listen.
By Mic Moroney
Frank Harte/Donal Lunny: "1798: The First Year of Liberty" (Hummingbird)
Every old Dublin hostelry has its 37-verse caterwauler, but Chapelizod architect Frank Harte is a very fine class of a singer, and this ballad album, despite its optimistic title, zones in on a song book of laments of atrocity and bereavement. There's no Boulavogue, but pike-arms will tremble to this folk memory of Wexford, Carlow and some Northern counties. Harte hits very particular emotive chords with early 19th-century songs of dead men gone and widow's curses; or, for weird balance, the murderous nonsense of the Derry Down Down Orange song. The sleeve notes alone add a decent slab to the plethora of 1798 publications - I'm sure I've read chunks of it elsewhere - and Donal Lunny, provides for once, minimalist, but beautifully supportive accompaniment.
By Mic Moroney
