I hope this is an alright place to post this… I’d hate to be hog-tied and tortured on my first visit here. 
I was wondering if I could get some suggestions on some good female trad singers (Scottish, Irish, Welsh) to check out, in order to help me improve my own style of singing… any faves out there?
Hwyl,
Andrea
Niamh Parson, the ni Domhnaill sisters Maighread and Triona, Aine ni Cheallaigh etc spring to mind before going fierce traditional altogether.
Fierce is good too, Peter. 
Andrea ~*~
Also Dolores Keane, especially if you have a low-pitched (“contralto” doesn’t seem right when you’re talking about trad. singing!)voice and like the fine strappin’ woman sound.
I was thinking of Dolores too, but seemed obvious and her more recent modern music is not my cup of tea, got hold of a tape of her playing the whistle aged ten recently, and one of her singing at 14. Very sweet. While at it look for her aunts Sara and Rita, unusual in a traditional context to get duet singing but very nice too.
Daibhi O Croinin’s book on his grandmother Elisabeth Cronin’s singing [including two CDs of archive recordings] is worth looking at too.
Cara Dillon is a really nice singer. Good info on her here http://www.caradillon.co.uk/
You can download some of her songs to get a feel for her music.
Cheers
Gerry
Think before you Think before you Talk!
[ This Message was edited by: WhistlingGypsy on 2002-10-04 11:20 ]
Talitha Mackenzie is an excellent example of different styles of Scottish singing from pourt a buel to waulking songs. She satisfies my hard core needs but is still very entertaining.
My personal favorite is Karen Matheson of Capercallie. She’s Scottish.
I’ll second Karen Matheson and Cara Dillon. Also either Mary or Frances Black are good trad irish singers but tend to do more songs which were written recently.
For wales, Julie Murphy has the most amazing voice I’ve ever heard - beats all the above hands down IMO. There’s a solo album of trad welsh songs ‘ffawd’ with Dylan Fowler, or singing with her band Fernhill - ‘Llatai’ is my favourite album. All on lable fflach.
Jo.
You could also listen to Karan Casey, who used to be the singer with Solas. She has an amazing voice, and, while she also sings songs from outside the tradition (eg: Ella Fitzgerald songs!), she sings in a beautiful traditional sean-nos style. She does lots in Irish too. She released a solo album in the last year - “The Winds Begin to Sing”. See http://www.karancasey.com
Deirdre
[ This Message was edited by: fluter_d on 2002-10-07 10:45 ]
Jean Redpath. Sheena Wellington. Gordeanna McCullough. Anne Neilson. Karine Polwart. Anne Combe. Fiona Forbes. Maureen Jelks. Aileen Carr. Isla St Clair. Christine Kydd. Elspeth Cowie. Heather Heywood. Sheila Stewart. They are all Scottish and most sing traditional Scots songs either unaccompanied or with minimal accompaniment. By the way, these are only my favourites and some are considered to be a bit of an acquired taste!
second on Maighread NiDomnhaill. I have very early Skara Brae record right up to her on recent cds. An incredible voice with phrasing, intonation and beauty that has gotten better rather than faltered with time.
On 2002-10-04 11:09, Peter Laban wrote:
I was thinking of Dolores too, but seemed obvious and her more recent modern music is not my cup of tea, got hold of a tape of her playing the whistle aged ten recently, and one of her singing at 14. Very sweet. While at it look for her aunts Sara and Rita, unusual in a traditional context to get duet singing but very nice too.
Daibhi O Croinin’s book on his grandmother Elisabeth Cronin’s singing [including two CDs of archive recordings] is worth looking at too.
Ahhh, Dolores. 
(thanks for that clip, btw, Peter) Get hold of some of her older stuff, like Og Rua, Brokenhearted I’ll Wander (treasure, that!), or Farewell to Eirin (best version of Sliabh Gallion Braes I’ve ever heard). She is also on De Dannan’s Ballroom, in fine form (doing Teddy O’Neill beautifully).
But you might also want to check out Susan McKeon. She doesn’t only do traditional stuff, but is a truly stunning singer when she does (and also quite a collector of traditional tunes, I am told).
But why not give Margaret Barry a listen? On Peter Kennedy’s Traditional Music of Ireland you can hear her version of She Walked Through the Fair, which I believe made that song so widely popular since the sixties. It will not be long, long …
Well, Magaret Barry’s hard to beat I suppose, then there’s Rosie Stewart from Femanagh, May Heron, Sligo, Norma Waterson, Yorkshire, wonderful singers all of them
I can’t believe that Cara Dillon was mentioned and her older sister Mary (my personal favorite) wasn’t. Mary was with Deanta and has the most incredible voice ever. I’d leave my job, wife, and kids to have her sing to me … ooops sorry too much info.
Deanta had 3 recordings that I know of. LISTEN TO THIS WOMAN! I guess I’m smitten. Hear these tunes particularly…
Green Fields of Canada
Willie and Mary
Where are You Tonight.
Timmy
I think Mary Dillon has a beautiful voice, too (I know the Deanta stuff), but her style and song arangements always struck me as decidedly modern, or non-trad.
Here is another vote for Karen Casey. Also it might be a surprise, but I listened the other day to the new album by Sinead O’Connor ‘Sean-Nos Nua’. I think it’s lovely.
Music expresses that which can not be said and on which it is impossible to be silent Victor Hugo
[ This Message was edited by: CraigMc on 2002-10-16 18:08 ]
Oh yeah…I can’t believe I forgot Karen Matheson of Capercallie. It’s a little more contemporary but ‘Breisleach’ made the album Dusk Till Dawn: The Best of Capercallie worth the price.
From Ceolas
Capercaillie (“Kap-ir-Kay-Lee”, named after a large Grouse) are without a doubt one of the most popular of Scottish traditional groups. Karen Matheson’s singing has been widely acclaimed, both for traditional songs and some of their more pop-influenced recent work. Many comparisons have been made between Capercaillie and Clannad both for their overall style and their ventures from traditional to more modern sounds. The band has been around since the early eighties, and have recorded with Green Linnet and Survival Records.
Also Mairead Ni Mhaoinaigh of Altan has a lovely voice.
Sorry if these were mentioned before.
You should also check out Christine Primrose, Eilidh (sp?) McKenzie and Catherine-Anne MacPhee for recent traditionally-based Scottish Gaelic song and the group Mac-talla featuring the first two. All are superb. Going further back, the traveller singers Jeannie Robertson and Belle Stewart are peerless and enormously influential on just about every current Scottish singer who matters.
For Irish singers, don’t miss Maighread Ni Domhnaill’s Gan Dha Phingin Spre/No Dowry which is my personal favourite and also Karan Casey’s Songlines which is also stunning and might be my personal favourite if it weren’t for …you know already.
[ This Message was edited by: Wombat on 2002-10-17 03:12 ]
On 2002-10-16 18:02, CraigMc wrote:
Here is another vote for Karen Casey. Also it might be a surprise, but I listened the other day to the new album by Sinead O’Connor ‘Sean-Nos Nua’. I think it’s lovely.
An interesting comment on the Sean Nos Nua album was posted t othe IRTRAD mailing lsit by Terry Moylan.
http://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0210&L=irtrad-l&P=R15509&I=-3&m=95161
I know where he is coming from and he knows what he is talking about it, the choice of words is maybe a bit much but I think he is right t oan extend. Whatever the way, judging by the replies to the initial question I don’t have the impression there’s agreement here on what is traditional singing.