Damien McGeehan - The Tin Fiddle album review: Fidelity to a forgotten fiddle

The tin fiddle has been a central feature of the music of Donegal, and is particularly associated with the playing of John Doherty. Damien McGeehan, a founding member of the superb and now sadly defunct trio Fidil, uses this most unusual of instruments as the jumping-off point for a freewheeling exploration of the music of his home place and beyond.

McGeehan exploits the surprisingly rich potential of the tin fiddle through a number of original and traditional pieces, stitching textured rhythms into the body of his chosen tunes. The breadth of influences is striking, stretching(unsurprisingly) from Scottish highlands and a gorgeous waltz from John Doherty to Duke Ellington's Caravan on The Tinsmith.

McGeehan's musical literacy opens up a whole new vista on an instrument long marginalised, and reveals some rich pickings in the process. damienmcgeehan.com