The Shores of Lough Graney
Quillan Records ****
Just as siblings who sing find harmonies of the closest and most intricate kind, so it is that musicians who share a gene pool often trace musical shapes both intimate and inextricable. The late, great east Clare fiddler PJ (known locally as P Joe) Hayes and his son Martin play fiddle together as if their instruments were hewn from the same tree. This album is largely a rerelease of a 30-minute cassette recording made in 1989 with genteel guitar accompaniment from Mark Gregory. Augmented by some additional tunes recorded a few years later with Dennis Cahill on guitar, it’s a sweet mix of the quintessential east Clare style that Martin and P Joe have long championed: a spellbinding amalgam of the most languid, free-flowing and plaintive tunes crossed with fiery dance music that urges the listener to take to the floor. A welcoming and welcome addition to the Hayes canon. See custysmusic.com