CLADDAGH RECORDS NEWSLETTER 
                                   Dec 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/
      

MASTER IRISH FIDDLE PLAYER. Tommy Peoples. CD re-issue of an album which was
previously only available on tape. This is essential for fiddle fans. It was
made just after Tommy left the Bothy Band, and is one of his best
performances. The production is a bit boomy, but the playing is so good that
you forget it after a while.

SONGS FOR A CELTIC CHRISTMAS. Anuna. Compilation of Christmas songs from the
famous Irish group.

I SANG THROUGH THE FAIRS. Margaret Barry. Songs and interviews with the
great street singer, recorded by Alan Lomax and Peter Kennedy. This is
probably the best recording of Margaret  her voice was still young, and is
very beautiful. Its part of the major Alan Lomax collection, recorded in
Dundalk in 1952.

SEACHRAN SI. Various artists. Sean-nos songs from four singers  Eamon O
Donnchadha from Dublin, Padraig O Cearbhaill from Limerick, Briain O
Domhnaill from Donegal and Antaine O Farachain from Dublin.

A TRUE BORN IRISHMAN.  Mickey Dunne & Martin Byrnes. Songs and tunes on
uilleann pipes and guitar.

AT HOME IN SLIABH LUACHRA. Johnny Reidy. Dance Music played on the
accordion.

FRENCH WINDOWS. Sonny Condell. Singer-songwriter who used to be a member of
Tir na nOg.

ACROSS THE BRIDGE OF HOPE. Various. Charity album for the Omagh Fund,
including tracks from Liam Neeson, Sinead OConnor,  Paul Brady and more.

THE UNSEEN STREAM. Troy Donockley. New Age type stuff on uilleann pipes with
band.

CELTIC LEGACY
HEART OF THE CELTS. Two compilations from Narada.

CELTIC CLASSICS THAT BRING PEACE AND SPEAK TO THE SOUL. Recorded by Shanon
in Dublin, Ireland.

THE SOLDIERS TREE. Joe Giltrap. Singer/songwriter.

CELTIC EVOLUTION. Various. 2CD compilation featuring Planxty, Joe Derrane,
De Danann and many more. All previously released.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FINBAR. Various. Film soundtrack, played largely by
Davey Spillane.

THE ESSENTIAL FUREYS. Cheap compilation.

ALTANS FINEST. Cheap compilation.

THE WOLFE TONES GREATEST HITS. Cheap compilation.

Meav. Meav. Young singer, ex Anuna and Riverdance.

IRELANDS VOICES FOR PEACE. Various. Choral and solo versions of fairly
middle of the road stuff.

BEFORE THE FLOOD. Steve Finn, Andrew Dinan and John Joe Kelly. Traditional
tunes and newly written songs on guitar, fiddle and bodhran.

IRISH FOLK FAVOURITES. Various artists. This should be of interest to
collectors and nostalgists. Its a four CD set featuring an album each from
The Dubliners, The Kilfenora Ceili Band, Sweeneys Men, The Grehan Sisters,
Finbar and Eddie Furey, and Mick Moloney. The Grehan Sisters were a
traditional group from Boyle in County Roscommon, right at the start of the
ballad boom. They had a pub in the town and it was in their pub that the
great ballad singer John Reilly was discovered. Theyre a bit rough by
modern standards, but its honest, traditional folk music. The Dubliners,
Fureys, Moloney and Sweeneyss Men should be well known to you. And the
Kilfenora album is from their classic period, 1970s  one of the fiddlers
was Tommy Peoples. Even if you have some of them already, it might be worth
buying, as the whole lot costs the same as one CD.

And speaking of Tommy, we now have unlimited access to his recent The Quiet
Glen, and we will from now on be able to offer it at a more reasonable
price.