Traditional

The traditional music of the week reviewed by SIOBHÁN LONG

Áine Uí Cheallaigh

Gael Linn ****

This is a collection that demands much of its listener, but the bounty is rich once one delves deep beneath its surface. Binneas Thar Meon,or Sweetness Unimaginable, is a compendium of songs from southeast Munster gathered by Liam de Noraidh in the 1940s. Áine Uí Cheallaigh is a sean nós singer with an impressive back story.

Twice Corn Uí Riada winner, she mixes Irish and English songs, and confidently partners pillars of the tradition with relative unknowns. Her reading of the most lonesome of love songs (or most morbid accounts of co-dependency?), Dónall Óg, initially jars as it turns the narrative thread of the song on its head, altering its tenor utterly. Such boldness, though, alongside some well-chosen instrumentation (viola, clarinet and saxophone) yields an unexpected treasure trove. www.gaellinn.com

Download tracks: Lord Ullins Daughter