Eoin Dillon - Pondelorum album review: traditional turned upside down

The essence of traditional music has lately been shaken and stirred by a swathe of musicians. Pádraig Rynne’s band Notify, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh’s Hardanger fiddle and Kíla’s piper Eoin Dillon form part of a new jigsaw puzzle that casts our music in fresh light.

Pondelorum is a Joycean odyssey that marries fanciful pen pictures (in the sleeve notes) with a brace of exceptionally fine tunes. Dillon's pairing of pipes with Micheál Ó Suilleabháin's harpsichord echo the haughty grandeur of Seán Ó Riada, but with a subtle vulnerability beneath, particularly on the meditative Uisce Fé Thalamh. Swan Song, the aptly titled closer, exploits the immense compatibility of pipes and trombone. (Who knew?)

Writ large, though, is Dillon’s singular vision: bold, unfettered and freewheeling. To quote the man himself, speaking of Crosbarry piper Flor Begley: “for in his music was the majic of time”.