CLADDAGH RECORDS NEWSLETTER 
                                  June 1997

        Claddagh Records, Dame House, Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
      phone/fax +1-353-1-679-3664. Retail and international mail-order.
                       email claddagh@crl.ie (Finbar Boyle)

SOME RECENT IRISH AND RELATED RELEASES

TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC. Paddy Carty.Welcome CD re-issue of Paddy
Carty's solo album of the 1970s.

THE LEITRIM THRUSH. Neil Mulligan. Neil Mulligan's second album of
uilleann piping. Good old-fashioned , unaccompanied music, it includes
one track of Neil's father Tom, who was a lovely fiddler.

THE BUMBLEBEES. The Bumblebees. Light, breezy music played excellently
by Laoise Kelly (harp), Mary Shannon (mandolin, mandola, banjo, fiddle)
and Colette O'Leary (piano accordion). A happy record.

BLASTA! Various. Good, cheap compilation from Gael-Linn, featuring
Buttons & Bows, Mary Bergin, Paddy Keenan, Dolores Keane and more.

OMNIS - SPECIAL EDITION.  Anuna. The  Omnis album has been entirely
re-recorded, and four new songs have been added .

DESERT HEART. Eleanor Shanley. Well-chosen selection  of songs,
contemporary for the most part, by the County Leitrim singer. 

AN NORA BHEAG. Sean Hernon. Great tin whistle playing by one of the
gifted Hernon family.

BLATH NA hOIGE. Mairtin Tom Sheainin. New album of songs by the
well-known Connemara singer.

FAMINE REMEMBRANCE. Patrick Cassidy. Music with a famine theme,
performed by the Choir and Orchestra of St Patrick's Cathedral, NY and
others.

There are 4 compilations from the Green Linnet Catalogue; THE DANCE
MUSIC OF IRELAND fearturing Kevin Burke, Kevin Crawford, Joanie Madden,
Joe Burke and others, THERE WAS A LADY featuring songs from Mary Dillon,
Triona Ni Dhomhnaill, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and others, SEASON OF MISTS
featuring airs played by Seamus McGuire, Sileas, Joanie Madden and
others, and CELTIC BAGPIPE COLLECTION featuring Jerry O'Sullivan, Matty
Connolly, Seamus Ennis and others.

GACH EAN. The Barleyshakes. Tunes and original songs played on plucked
instruments and percussion.

ORO. Na Casaidigh. Rather bizarre treatment of a selection of well-known
children's songs in Gaelic.

SET YOU FREE. Nomos. The second album from the talented and very popular
group.

IF YOU ARE IRISH. Frank Quinn. Compilation of 78 recordings from the
1920s. Quinn was a Longford man who played fiddle and box and sang. He
became one of the most successful Irish recording artists of the 1920s,
although some of his stuff is very stage-Irish.

DANU. Danu. Extraordinary debut album by young group. Kila, Delos and
now Danu have all shown that there is plenty of musical energy  in the
new generation. Danu are traditional players who are individually great
and who play perfectly as a group. And next month I'll have news of yet
another great young group.

DAIGAN. Various arists. Traditional song in Irish, Gaidhlig, Welsh and
Breton, featuring Lilis O Laoire, Mairi Smith, Julie Murphy and Annie
Ebrel.

GUARANTEED DUBLINER. Ronnie Drew. These are NOT new recordings, but yet
another compilation of oft-repackaged stuff. No harm to The Dubliners,
but the way their back catalogue is being handled does not reflect well
on them. 

AT EARLY DAWN. Mike Dugger. Irish music and originals played  on fiddle
by American fiddler.

DRAGON REELS.  Roger Landes. Bouzouki played by former member of
Scartaglen. 

UNDER THE INFLUENCE. Chris Grotewohl. Original and traditional tunes
played on 5-string banjo. 

SHADOWS ON STONE. Matt Molloy. This long awaited album is no
disappointment. The great flute player is on top form, from the slow
reel 'The Morning Thrush' to the manic virtuosity of 'The Mason's
Apron', with a few exotica, such as a Chinese tune and Mairtin
O'Connor's delightful 'The Wind in the Woods' thrown in. Absolutely
brilliant