Best of 2004

Trad Irish Music
1

I’m interested in finding the best CDs released in 2004. Yes, I’m only interested in Irish, and I prefer trad sound, but a little variety would be a good thing.

Any opinions?

Thx,
Tyg

2

I would have suggested Kitty Lie Over (http://www.kittylieover.com/) but it seems it’s a 2003 release. I don’t have the CD yet, but from what people tell me, it’s a mighty trad CD.

3

For me it would be between The Thing Itself / Peadar O Loughlin, Maeve Donnelly and An Tri 'is an Rian / John Weir, Claire Keville and Eithne ni Donaille. But I only heard a few new CDs and bought even fewer.

4

Claire’s CD is awesome for sure, I’m listening to it every single day.

5

I’ll second Peter’s choices, and add a few more

  1. Tim Collins’s 2004 release, “Dancing on Silver.” Brilliant concertina playing, lots of great tunes, and one track in particular that I keep going back to listen to over and again: a duet between Tim and his wife Claire Griffin (accordion) on two reels, The Corofin Departure and The Thrush in the Storm.

  2. Catherine and John McEvoy, with Felix Dolan on piano, “The Kilmore Fancy.” Another great fiddle-flute duet album, in the Sligo/Roscommon style.

  3. Patrick Kelly: “Patrick Kelly From Cree, Fiddle Music.” A compilation of mostly home recordings from the 1960s of this legendary Clare fiddler. I think this is available pretty much only from Custy’s music in Ennis.

6

That makes exactly the five CDs I bought this year :smiley:

(edit, not entirely true, just remembered I also bought Brian Mac’s out of curiosity)

7

Lovely and all well done, but listening to Tim play tunes reminded me of the style of Box playing popular in the 50’s and how it is almost never heard anymore.



I

8

Live at Mona’s (Patrick Ourceau and Eamon O’Leary) would be my top choice for 2004. But then, I haven’t heard any of the above.

Other than that, most of my exciting music purchases for the year were of considerably older material – From Ballymote to Brooklyn (remastered 78 tracks), Coleman Country Ceili Band in America (early 70s on vinyl), and Rufus Guinchard: Step Tunes and Doubles (late 70s vinyl, not Irish).