Here’s the Claddagh Records website whistle CD page.
http://www.claddaghrecords.com/www/categories.asp?cID=1&c=164939
I have about half of these. There are some here that I’ve never heard of and others I have heard of but didn’t realize they were still “in print,” so this site like finding buried treasure for me.
What a great site, blackhawk - Thanks! I’ve been looking a couple of those CD’s myself.
On a side note, what’s the proper, phonetic pronunciation of ‘claddagh’? :roll:
~Judy
No idea. 
claddagh = cluh-DAH? Wow … I wasn’t even close! Guess gaelic lessons should be my next hobby. 
Thx, Blackhawk! I’m going to order Joannie Madden’s and Mary Bergin’s cd’s (as soon as I’ve got the money for them 
)
You’re very welcome, Butterfly!
Fabulous, Blackhawk. Now…What do you recommend and why? I have Mary Bergin’s cd’s, and while I’d recommend them and consider them a great resource for a learning whistle player, I wouldn’t put them on for guests. (Same key whistle on most or every track, minimal accompaniment, light-speed playing through most of the cd. An acquired taste.) As a contrast, I’d put onLaurence Nugent’s cd’s for company because there’s a lot of variety of sound- high and low whistes, flute, different instruments accompanying, etc.
What do you recommend and what should I expect???
Tony
Tony, I ordered the one by Seosamh Mac Grianna and the one by Tina McLoughlin, based on clips of their slow airs on the website. I’ll let you know how I like them. I know, the version by MacGrainna of Coinleach Ghlas an Fhómhair has a lot of reverb, but I still love the way he plays on that clip, and it has given me the incentive to get the ornamentation right on that tune.
I’m sure you already have the one by Moloney and Potts. If not, it’s excellent, imho.
Although the one by Cormac Breathnach and Martin Dunlea - “Music For Whistle And Guitar,” isn’t pure drop, the playing is excellent. I have everything currently available by Cormac, and I like his playing a lot.
I don’t have either of the ones by Carmel Gunning, nor have I heard any of her playing.
Martina Bree’s CD is very good. If memory serves, she won All Ireland competition in whistling. It’s mostly trad, with maybe one or two tunes that are more recent (it’s been quite a while since I listened to my copy).
I’ve never heard the ones by Sean Ryan, but I’ve heard good things about them here on C&F and they will be my next purchases.
Anything by Micho Russell is good. His CDs are a mix of flute, whistle, songs, and stories that he tells. I thought I had all the ones by him, but Claddagh has one there that I’ve never heard of: “Traditional Music.” It might possibly be a list of “greatest hits” from the other CDs, but since they don’t offer a list of tunes (the one major drawback from this and most other Irish CD websites), I can’t say for sure.
As to Breda Smyth, all I know is that Peter Laban mentioned this CD a year or two ago and said it wasn’t his cup of tea. Then StevieJ posted that he thought she is the sister of Sean Smyth, the whistler and fiddler of Lunasa fame. Peter said something to the effect that she played well but he didn’t like the style of playing on this CD.
I know nothing of Sean Hernon or John Kennedy, so I can’t offer any info there.
The Champions of Ireland- Tinwhistle sounds interesting, but if it’s anything like Mary Bergin’s playing, they probably are playing faster than I can hear.
I hope this limited info helps.
I have both Sean Ryan’s CDs, “Take the Air” and “Minstrel’s Fancy”. I’ve had “Minstrel’s Fancy” for many years and really enjoy it. But I recently got “Take the Air” and I would say it well could be the better of the two.
Both are marvelous, and I think the world of Mr Ryan, but on “Minstrel’s Fancy” he really seems to focus more on his signature tongued ornaments while on “Take the Air” the playing is more balanced and not so staccato. Both contain great playing, though, and a variety of tune types and arrangements which to me avoids the same-key-whistle-tedium which otherwise might result.
Another worthwhile CD is Gavin Whelan’s eponymous debut. He plays an Eb Gen throughout (except for one air on a C Susato) and it has some really fine playing. The other instruments to be heard are fiddle, concertina, mandolin, zouk, guitar and bodhran (Colm Murphy, who also plays on the Sean Ryan CDs). I didn’t see it on the Claddagh site but I got mine through Tayberry, who I’ve been using a lot recently as they seem to have a lot in stock and ship very quickly. I’m sure you could get it from Celtic Grooves (Philippe Varlet) as well. Whelan has clips at his website.
BTW thanks for the link and reviews, Blackhawk
My pleasure, rh. Thanks for the advice on Sean Ryan’s CDs. I like Tayberry, too, and have bought several CDs from them over the last year. I just wish they had a “whistle CD page” like Claddagh to make things easier.
The Micho one could be the original first solo one that was done for Topic during the 70s, I think Ossian re-issued that in Ireland.
I remarked on Breda Smyth, haven’t actually heard the CD. Steve Power posted at the time he wrote a review for the Green Man Review website but I haven’t read that.
She plays the fiddle on some of the lahawns’ CDs. Fierce stuff (in a good way).
Breda Smyth is indeed Sean Smyth’s sister.
According to the bio in Larsen’s tome, she’s also an MD, which should appeal to Amar as would the lady herself (she’s married, Swiss-dood, to a bodhran player!).
In that case, the Micho CD becomes my next purchase. Thanks for the information, Peter.
rats..
That’s not even close either - the proper pronunciation for Claddagh is kläda - almost as it is written really - the ‘gh’ is silent. Here is a link with the proper pronunciation.
Thanks alot blackhawk… now just send me a cheque so I can start buying.
That’s pretty strange, Darvis. I was just listening to my Clannad 2 CD that I got in Ireland last summer and thinking how much I liked their version of Coinleach Ghlas an Fhomair. It’s not an instrumental – they sing the air in Irish with accompanyment. It’s beautiful. Anyway I was thinking how much I’d like to learn to play the air and then I came across your post. Do you know where sheet music can be found for this? Or is this something that you’re doing by ear?
Also, how do you get your computer to do the markings over the Gaelic letters when you type?
Thanks,
Will O’Ban
Will, I can play most songs if I can learn the words, which isn’t an option here (for me). If it were in English this would be a great one to learn by ear, since it’s beautiful and slow. But I learned it from Ireland’s 110 Best Slow Airs (Mel Bay), page 17, tune #25. It’s also in Traditional Slow Airs of Ireland by Tomas O’Canainn, page 16, tune #9.
Also, how do you get your computer to do the markings over the Gaelic letters when you type?
It takes a lot of wrist action, skill, experience, and years of practice.
Okay, actually I cut and pasted directly from the Claddagh (which I can’t pronounce at all, I’m finding out) website to avoid spelling errors.