Releases > Releases August 2025

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CONAL Ó GRÁDA
Anú Abú
Raelach Records RR026, 15 Tracks, 58 Minutes
www.raelachrecords.com
A dozen fresh young tracks from a veritable old head, recorded at Benny McCarthy’s Doon studio and engineered by Billy Sutton. This is a follow up to Conal’s solo album Cnoc Buí of 2008.
Ó Gráda leads out the tunes on the flute and is accompanied by Caoimhín O Fearghail (guitar, Greek bouzouki), Colm Ó Murchú (bodhrán), Caitríona Frost (marimba, drums, tambourine, brooms, jawbone) and Benny McCarthy (accordions-high chords, basses, sub basses, basse aux pied).
Full marks for the bilingual liner notes, concise context and insight into budgies, canaries and a drowned fox, which, to give you a hint, refer to a greedy hurler, a feline holiday, and a generous glass of wine. Conal’s titles are wacky and whimsical, and his playing is full of life and humour. This is an unashamedly happy album.
It is another classic from Jack Talty’s Raelach Records, which is building an impressive catalogue of some of the finest traditional playing of the 21st century. On hearing this I am sure Conal’s new tunes will stick like limpets to the rocks of Bawn. Catchy quirky titles help, but in the tradition the quality of the tunes comes first, and what goodies we have. The bouncy and brill of Benny’s Gone To Vegas, Fuip Out The Bugle, a clutch of K alliterating polkas, K Kung Fu Kate & The Karate Kid. Marches too, Tan Ann, Teacht Mhíl Espáinne (There was Once a Time, The Coming of the Milesians) contrasting the military fates of two ancestral armies.
Conal’s tunes will be remembered not just because they have curious titles, but because they are addictive and they are offered in variety. He now lives in the Múscraí Gaeltacht, there’s a set of slides that are no doubt sung in the locality: An Dui-Ré (The Dark Slide of the Moon), Siúl sa bhFásach (Walk on the Wild Slide). I could go on, but my closing words are: Conal’s Anú Abú album is the very definition of a living tradition.
Seán Laffey

AILBE GRACE & LIAM FLANAGAN
With special guest Mick O’Connor
Across The Glen
Own Label, 12 Tracks, 44 Minutes
Ailbe Grace is not known for being prolific, with just 2 albums in 20 years, the wait for this, his second album, has been well worth it.
Ailbe plays button box and Liam the fiddle, they are joined here by Jack Talty (piano), Eddie Costello (acoustic guitar) and Billy Sutton (bodhran). They met up with their old pal Mick O’Connor (banjo) at a gig at the Prince Albert pub in Whitton, London which furnishes two live  tracks: the hornpipes The Peacock’s Feather/Cooley’s/Cuz Teehan’s and the marches Down The Brae/The Thatch. (Down the Brae is on my “one to learn list”). The other tracks were recorded at Benny McCarthy’s Doon studio in Waterford.
This is a short-run CD, and at the time of printing, it had already sold out at Custy’s Music in Ennis. No surprise because it’s one of the most engaging and evocative CDs produced this year.
There are selections here that you might know: Sergeant Early’s Dream, Boys of Lough Gowna. The hornpipe Galway Bay, which they combine with The Smell of the Bog. A wonderful old slip jig Hardiman The Fiddler, the lads pair this with The Bridal and Mike McGoldrick’s Farewell to Whalley Range, surely a modern classic? Another relatively new tune is a light-footed waltz written by Joanie Madden: Farewell to the Catskills.
The combination of fiddle and accordion is, of course, a classic in itself, and Ailbe and Liam bring a sense of confident ease and swing to every  tune here. Nothing is rushed and neither is anything static; there’s drive without eagerness, their tempo is always in the Goldilocks zone.
On a recent trip to the Cavan Fleadh from Cashel to Killeshandra, this album was my constant companion, we never tired of the road and now it is an old friend. Across the Glen is a gem and it is surely a keeper.
Give Custy’s a ring in Ennis and see if they can get some more in stock, hot cakes would be cool by comparison.
Seán Laffey

GRANNY’S ATTIC
Cold Blows the Wind
Grimdon Records GRICD010, 11 Tracks, 45 Minutes
www.grannysattic.org.uk
Two very fine singers and two excellent musicians combine in this trio: George Sansome on vocals and guitar, Lewis Wood on fiddles, and Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne on button boxes and vocals. Sid Goldsmith joins them on double bass. George and Cohen share the lead on eight songs here, each one exquisitely arranged to provide a huge variety of tones and textures. Every song has a heritage of more than a hundred years, some much longer, and most are well known in the English, Scots and Irish Traditions. Where the Swan Swims so Bonny is a version of the Two Sisters song of betrayal and murder. Claudy Banks is a cheerful story of a returning sailor, and The Nightingale is a more typical tale of press gangs and drownings.
The delicate side of Granny’s Attic is nicely illustrated by their take on the English classic Lovely Joan, a very different betrayal given a slow and complex treatment here. The False Bride and Jack the Sailor are less well known, and each has a surprising twist, while The Mermaid and Cold Blows the Wind tell familiar tales of sea and land. Every song benefits from the instrumental prowess of this trio, and there are also three purely instrumental tracks, two old and one new. Lewis Wood’s Conversations is a cheeky English reel which draws on tradition and adds a good pinch of party mood: the guitar and concertina parts accentuate its saucy aspect. Bobbing Joe is a master class in how to make Morris tunes interesting, and New Allemand juxtaposes the slow and the sprightly styles of English dance music.
Granny’s Attic are a class act and this fourth album shows them at their best.
Alex Monaghan

EMER O’FLAHERTY
Go dtí Seo
Own Label, 10 Tracks, 40 Minutes  www.emeroflaherty.com
The role of the singer songwriter has been one of troubadour and newscaster. Whatever the vernacular, the function remains the same as does the song to quote Led Zeppelin. When it comes to songwriting in the Irish language as opposed to English, the same governing rules apply. Thus, Emer O’Flaherty finds herself in a growing niche as a predominantly Gaelic speaking singer-songwriter.
From Ennis she combines her commanding voice and lyrics with her multi-instrumental abilities on piano, organ, flute and tin whistle. With the increased popularity of spoken Irish, her debut album Go dtí Seo is a courageous and momentous release. For her influences she chases everything from sean-nós to contemporary forms and musically the mood is down tempo. However, it’s not a gloomy affair, far from it as it aims for the deep heart’s core and succeeds.
Ag Gearradh Romham is a resonant opener that highlights her strong distinctive vocals behind a stirring yet restrained backing. Ca Bhfuil Tu hides Baroque folk/rock roots while Staisun Traenach emits a poignant tale of romantic disappointment and departure seasoned by breathy flute and accordion. Neilli Bheag and Suantrai are melodic instrumental pieces that add further slow burning lustre. Hints of Laura Nyro and Shelagh MacDonald permeate the piano led musings like Grian Dubh, and jazz nuances also raise their head on Cuirt Baile Nua and Taibhse. Contrast is provided by a straight sean-nós delivery of Amhran Na Leabhair to a sparse piano backing where all the poignancy is evidently focused. The sole English language track Bird Interrupted neatly turns the tables proving equal giftedness in the Ango Saxon gloss.
This is music to dwell on, drink deeply from and wonder at her prowess. Emer O’Flaherty is a major new Irish songwriting talent. Go dtí Seo offers gems for after-hours deliberation.
John O’Regan

HARALD JUENGST
Handpan Music To Soothe The Soul
Liquid Sunshine Records LSR CD 02, 10 Tracks, 58 Minutes
https://www.harald-juengst.com/
This is music for a dark room, scented candles, slow breathing and deep healing. Harald Juengst the genial German handpan player, Irish storyteller and often resident of Donegal, has released this album of handpan and monochord music in collaboration with Tyrone man Eamon McElholm of Solas fame, who adds piano, keyboards, programming and guitar, and his skills as an arranger and producer.
Harald has a home near Ranafast, it is handy for the airport and is within sight of the beach. For the past thirty or more years he’s been part of the eclectic music scene around Gweedore. On this album he plays both the Handpan and monochord. Both are tuned in C# with the handpan having a pedal frequency of 432 Hertz, much more mellow and soothing than standard concert pitch. Tracks have one word titles, Tranquility, Parting, Forest, Time and so on. Harald’s music really needs a new vocabulary to describe it, chords, melodies, beats and patterns don’t really do it justice. For example on Simplicity there are pulses of percussion on the handpan, they in turn set free washes of ambient harmonies, which themselves are pure tones, and then there are the resonating strings from the monochord, the latter so delicately placed that you might miss them. The piano makes a cameo appearance towards the end of track 9 Dew Drop, as if to say “I’m a percussion instrument too”. On Laura’s Dream the handpan sends sound waves radiating as they ascend from their tapped root.
Track 6, Parting is perhaps the most complex and intense, the monochord brought in to make a musical punctuation, presaging the final cadence.
If you are in need of some extensive chilling out time, then Harald, the boy with a view of the beach, has some good vibrations for you.
Seán Laffey

PEGGY SEEGER
Teleology
Red Grape Music RGPSCD5, 11 Tracks, 35 Minutes
www.peggyseeger.com
Now in her 90th year, Peggy Seeger has walked a hallowed path from her time working with her brother Mike Seeger, her involvement with Ewan McColl, more recently with Irene Scott, and she had also formed a partnership and toured with her sons Calum and Neil in a show of familial intimacy. Her solo work has contributed greatly to her legendary status and now comes what she says is her final recording, and one where she plans not to exit stage left gently but with a BANG. Its title refers to a philosophy that concerns itself with ends and goals not aspirations and causable factors.
Indeed, this album has a bang and punch to it in her observations and musings which offer a fitting personal tribute to over 70 years as a working musician, collector, composer, feminist and social activist. Peggy’s voice and songwriting are still both major forces to be reckoned with. Teleology has nine brand new songs and two reinterpretations, including a new version of the classic First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Written and recorded with family members, this album is suffused with love and respect. Sing About the Hard Times opens in a rousing chorus, mixing optimism and resilience with Peggy’s voice out front. I Want To Meet Paul Simon offers clever wordplay on his song titles while the title track Teleology is confessional and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face radiates shimmering desire in this new treatment, and at 90 sees Peggy making her recording debut playing piano.
The swampy Jazz/Blues shuffle of Slow and the march rhythm of Sit-Down address current issues and champion strength through unity. Driftwood tackles migration with empathetic humanity while No Place Like Home addresses the sense of worthlessness felt by the homeless. Through The Clouds and Driftwood both pack an emotional punch.
Teleology proves that Peggy Seeger’s observational gifts are still intact and offers a powerfully resonant coda to a great folk career.
John O’Regan

TERESA HORGAN
Amethyst
Own Label TH001, 14 Tracks, 56 Minutes
www.teresahorganmusic.com
Amethyst is Teresa Horgan’s first solo album – but while this is her debut effort under her own sails, she has earned her stripes touring and recording with The Outside Track, Cuas, and other collaborations including one with guitarist Mossie Griffin.
Teresa Horgan, from County Cork, was immersed in music from a young age, playing whistle, flute and singing with her family. Having made a considerable impression, now comes her solo debut. Amethyst  is where she lays claim to a space among Ireland’s premier new female vocal spots. Indeed, its arrival is both warranted and well-deserved. Vocally she possesses a warm deep timbre which suits her material and her voice range. Much of the material is either traditional or gleaned from writers within the balladic form such as Brian MacNeil’s in Strong Women Rule Us All with Their Tears. Her own Far Across the Ocean unveils a finely wrought compositional skill and traditional songs like Sweet William’s Ghost and Sovay gain from fresh insights and intonation.
Tear My Stillhouse Down, No Ash will Burn and Deeper Well steer the proceedings into Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris territory adding a dash of Country Blues and Americana. Alan Burke’s Will Jobling carries its message of injustice with righteous panache. Her comfort with Gaelic singing gives Eamon An Gnoic a collaboration with the late Seamus Begley a peaceful warmth. Teresa is helped by Donogh Hennessy, Martin Brunsden, Pauline Scanlon, Gerry O’ Beirne, Barry Kerr, Niamh Varian-Barry and a host of renowned guest artists. Some of her family John, Catherine and Breda Horgan join her in performances which are both winsome and wistful.
By successfully mixing judiciously chosen material, subtle arrangements and sympathetic production framing Teresa’s agile and beguiling vocals, Amethyst proves that Teresa Horgan is among our finest vocal talents.
John O’Regan

PAT McCARTHY
Memories Recalled and Lost
Own Label, 10 Tracks, 38 Minutes
This is the third CD in a series of original song releases from Kerry native Pat McCarthy. He spent a lifetime as an educator in Portmarnock Dublin and has blossomed as a singer songwriter and guitarist in the recent past.
Good times, good vibes and funny words are on offer on the first track: Hair of The Dog. Where Pat juxtaposes the jollity of pre-Christmas parties against the looming guilt-trip to the gym, and a necessary cleansing of the body after the Yuletide indulgence.
He takes a nostalgic trip back to his mother’s homeplace outside Castleisland on Loughfouder, led out by a mandolin, his catchy chorus evoking happy childhood memories: “Take me back to sweet Loughfouder… where the spirit can run free..”
Two songs in the middle of the album take a closer look at isolation. Locked Up In Lockdown reminds us that back then we needed to find space in nature, a place to run with the rabbit, the fox and hare, a safety valve when our homes became too claustrophobic. The other extreme is visited in Under Charing Cross Bridge; what a powerful song about the homeless Irish who fell foul of the system after years of hard labour. Pat’s voice is as strident, angry and authentic as anything sung by Luke Kelly in his prime.
The final track is upbeat on its surface, but carries a serious message, asking a question: do we judge a ballad singer as a person harshly, because they dare to sing a Rebel song or mention a Republican hero? Pat leaves us with the thought that as long as we sing about Pearce, Connolly and Tone, our history still belongs to us.
Seán Laffey

NATALIE PADILLA
Eostre
Own Label, 9 Tracks, 28 Minutes
www.nataliepadillamusic.com
A very natural blend of Celtic and Americana, Eostre actually starts like a classical orchestra tuning up but then quickly slips into smooth oldtime fiddle and banjo on Terra, the first of nine tracks all by Natalie Padilla and all named for different gods or spirits from around the world. Although this is new music, it has an old soul - the gentle Vayu with its airy backdrop, the more urgent Agni’s driving country beat, and the dreamy Areg with Padilla leading on guitar are all instantly appealing, easy listening but also inviting us to dance or play along.
Natalie plays fiddle, banjo and guitar, but she’s not alone on this album. Producer Quinn Bachand plies his jazz guitar plus touches of fiddle and harmonica, Vancouver fiddle icon Daniel Lapp adds piano, and there’s mountain dulcimer from Simon Chrisman. Eostre has no lyrics, no songs in that sense, but there are snatches of vocals from Béatrix Méthé woven into a rich carpet of sounds behind the melodies here.
Nigeria’s forest spirit Aja must have attended a Flanagan Brothers concert in her youth: this piece bridges the gulf between Africa and Ireland with a gorgeous slow reel or barndance, followed by a crooked pair of Irish jigs dedicated to the Ngen spirits of the South American narrows. Eostre wraps up with an oldtime clawhammer banjo tune, a growling contemporary fiddle reel, and a country waltz to bring a tear to the eyes of Roman nature goddess Flora. I’ll be learning this tune: it’s so good, I can’t believe it’s not butter! Smooth, tasty, and true to the tradition - spread Eostre around, and sink your teeth into its final tear-it-up hoe-down medley.
Alex Monaghan

HARTWIN DHOORE & ROSS GRANT
New Beginnings
Trad Records TRAD040, 5 Tracks, 21 Minutes
www.hartwin.be
On the long side for an EP, but certainly shorter than a full album even by today’s standards, this collection of five tracks nonetheless packs some weighty tunes, both new compositions and centuries-old nuggets from the Flemish and English traditions. Grant’s fiddle and Dhoore’s button box are the only sounds here, duetting on every track: no overdubbing or other musical alchemy aside from the magical interplay of two fine musicians. Box and fiddle fill the space with constant creativity in Hartwin’s left-hand accompaniment and frequent double stops from Ross. This pair draws inspiration from the likes of Leveret and Naragonia: the similarities are apparent, and the space between them is almost negligible.
Four of Hartwin’s own pieces provide almost half the material here. Opening with the title piece, a typically smooth and uplifting saunter in the Flemish style, he shifts into a laid-back jig which could be Celtic in the right light. The waltz Green Café brings us back to Belgium, a sunny afternoon on the town square perhaps, and contrasts nicely with Ross Grant’s grinding reel Gezellig, which despite its pleasant Dutch name seems to originate close to the heart of old English fiddling. Other pieces here certainly do: Cuckoo’s Nest, Blew Bell Hornpipe, and the plain-spoken If You Will Not Have Me You May Let Me Go from the 1770 Northumbrian Vickers manuscript.
New Beginnings winds down with Dhoore’s Bonfire Tune, a quiet close to a very promising first chapter from this pair.
Alex Monaghan