TRADITIONAL

The latest releases reviewed.

BOYS OF THE LOUGH Twenty Gilderoy Music ****

Fiche bliain ag fás. Boys of the Lough are one of the tightest traditional music ensembles, and their unabashed delight in excavating new tunes and mining the deepest seams of their song repertoire is contagious. This 20th album from a band whose roots stretch back to 1967 is a snapshot of a gathering whose priorities have always favoured good company rather than the lure of easy money. Group founder Cathal McConnell lends quirky vocals (and flute), especially excelling in I Must Away, Love, with enough twisted Fermanagh dipththongs to exercise a forensic linguistic detective. Brendan Begley's visceral accordion is countered by his cradling vocals on the divine Mo Ghrá'sa Mo Dhia. Dave Richardson's contributions on mandolin, accordion and concertina are characteristically learned. A celebration of a life lived, and living well. www.boysofthelough.com Siobhán Long

LIAM Ó MAONLAOÍ Rian Rian Records ****

For aficionados of traditional music, Rian is unquestionably a cut above the rest; for newcomers untutored in the nuances of sean nós singing, Rian might be a step too far, uncharted terrain for which there is no compass other than a willing eardrum and a spirit of adventure. This is a primal return to his roots (both linguistic and cultural) for Liam Ó Maonlaoí, the Hothouse Flowers frontman. It's a bold foray, where he opts repeatedly for the hard shoulder (where all the best hollows and humps lurk) rather than the middle of the road. So Seán Ó Riada's spiny arrangement of Ár nAthair cosies up alongside Ó Maonlaoí's hypnotic reading of Sadbh Ní Buruinnealadh, and both joust nonchalantly with Tom Billy's Jig. Re-awakenings are seldom so spirited. www.liam-o-maonlaoi.com Siobhán Long