CLADDAGH RECORDS NEWSLETTER 
                                   March 1998

        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) http://indigo.ie/~claddagh/


BEGINISH. Beginish. BEG 001. New group  Brendan Begley (accordions,
vocals), Paul McGrattan (flute), Noel O'Grady (bouzouki) and Paul
O'Shaughnessy (fiddle). Guests are Triona and Mairead Ni Dhomhnaill, Arty
McGlynn and Colm Murphy. There probably won't be a better group album this
year.

CLANNAD Clannad. 19970001. For many years now, Clannad's first album has
been unobtainable in any format. The original  masters were destroyed
accidentally. Now the album has been re-assembled on CD, using pristine LPs
and modern re-mastering techniques. It sounds remarkably good. There is
also a bonus track, 'An Bealach Seo 'Ta Romham', from a 1975 single. This
first album is like the other early Clannad albums (Clannad 2, Dulaman,
Fuaim) in that it sticks largely to traditional material.

THE IRISH FAMINE. Various. LGCD 001. An album commemorating the Famine,
using music and song. Excellent musicianship from Jarlath McTiernan
(pipes), Tony FitzGibbon (fiddle) and others. There are also some songs
from a really great traditional singer, Colm O'Donnell. And some narrative
information, read by Charlie McGettigan.

COIS ABHANN NA SEAD. Eilis Ni Shuilleabhain. CICD 132. A great collection
of songs by the Cuil Aodha singer  somehow I  missed out on this last
month. Eilis is a member of a famous singing family  there is also an
album of her brother Diarmuid. Fifteen songs, fourteen of them in Gaelic.

DRIOBALL NA FAINLEOIGE. Johnny Connolly. CICD127. The subtitle says 'Dance
music from Ireland's greatest  melodeon-player', and it's probably correct.
Johnny is from Connemara, where great melodeon players abound, and the
music he makes on the ten-button box is astonishing. He plays reels, jigs,
set dances, polkas, slip-jigs, slides, hornpipes and a fling.

SOLAS. Ronan Hardiman. 539438 2. New album by the composer of 'Lord of the
Dance'. Somebody probably wants it.

MEASCAN. Meascan. MEASCD1. Songs and tunes on banjo, mandolin,  mandola, 
guitars, fiddle. Dublin group.

THE IRISH NATIONAL ANTHEM. CDNATION 001. A whole CD devoted to 'The
Soldier's Song'. There are short, medium and long versions played by an
orchestra, sung in English and in Irish, and played on more traditional
instruments. It sounds a bit mad, but we are always being asked by foreign
football clubs, golf clubs etc, to provide them with a  CD to play for
visiting Irish teams. It's ideal for all kinds of ceremonial occasions.
WORD AND RHYME. Ger Wolfe. GWCD 001. Singer -songwriter from Cork. This is
the man who gave us 'The Crackling Radio' on Any Old Time's last album.
Pleasant voice and very good songs.

CELANOVA SQUARE. Calico. OSSCD 100. Calico are Tola Custy (fiddle),
Diarmaid Moynihan (uilleann pipes, whistles) and Donncha Moynihan (guitar)
and they play a mixture of old and new music. All of them are well known
musicians here in Ireland.

CELTIC MUSIC. Sean O'Driscoll. CVCD 1001. Sean O'Driscoll is a singer and
box player from Blarney who lives in the US.

THE JIG'S UP. Anne-Marie O'Farrell. Ann-Marie O'Farrell is one of Ireland's
foremost harpists and this is an album of dance music, some airs and a few
Carolan pieces.

HER INFINITE VARIETY. Various. Yet another 'Celtic' compilation from Green
Linnet, this time concentrating on women's song and music.

SCEAL EILE. Gerry Harrington & Eoghan O Suilleabhain. LUNCD 059. This fine
recording on fiddle and accordion has been unavailable for some time, and
we're glad to say that we can now get it again.

And a heap of compilations from Green Linnet;
ONE AND ALL  the best of Cherish the Ladies. GLCD 1187
THE JUG OF PUNCH CELT 9012
PLAYING WITH FIRE CELT 9011
PUTTING ON AIRS CELT 9009
SONGS FROM THE HEART CELT 9010
THIS STRANGE PLACE  Wolfstone GLCD 1188

SWINGING ON A GATE. John Colfer. No number. Irish  music played on a 
mandolin. Mostly O'Carolan pieces, set dances, airs. Only one set of reels.

CORNER HOUSE. Corner House. CH456. Accordion, fiddle, whistle with drums
and things.

WHIRLYGIG. No number. Very fast music by very young band.