Focus

CD Reviews: Kíla - Luna Park Dermot McLaughlin KílaLuna Parkkíla recordsPushing boundaries, wrestling with the form, taking ‘liberties’ with the sacrosanct immutable tradition (mar dheá), fusing/fusion, hybridisation, attitude. These are some of the things that come to...
CD Reviews: Séamus Quinn and Gary Hastings Robbie Hannan Séamus Quinn and Gary Hastings Slán le Loch Éirne – Stories to Tell Cló Iar-Chonnachta CICD 152This is very fine recording from two excellent musicians. Séamus Quinn and Gary Hastings played a lot of music together while...
Music and Nationalism: The Debate Continues Music and Nationalism: The Debate Continues Patrick Zuk In some recent writing on the history of music in Ireland, several Irish scholars have claimed that nationalist ideologies had a stultifying influence on the development of classical music here. These views have proved extremely controversial, and writers such as Barra ó Séaghdha and Patrick Zuk have challenged them in a number of articles and reviews. In this article, Patrick Zuk returns to the subject and outlines his principal reservations.
Identity on Parade Raymond Deane A conference held in Virginia, USA, on ‘Re-imagining Ireland’ invited an array of Irish artists and intellectuals to discuss the modern Irish identity – but entirely omitted classical music. Raymond Deane explores why.
A Touchstone for the Tradition Terry Moylan A new book by Tony Kearns and Barry Taylor on the celebrated Willie Clancy traditional music summer school.
From Listening to Appraisal? Arthur Sealy Music teacher Arthur Sealy takes up the issues raised by Raymond Deane in his recent article on the use of his composition Seachanges (with danse macabre) in the Leaving Cert. examination.
CD Reviews: Island to Island - Traditional Music from Newfoundland Liz Doherty Island to Island: Traditional Music from NewfoundlandSeamus Creagh, Colin Carrigan, Aidan Coffey, Mick Daly, Graham Wells, Billy Sutton, Jason Whelan, Paddy Mackey (Ossian Publications)Once described as ‘the fifth province of Ireland’, Canada’s...
CD Review: Charlie Lennon & Johnny Óg Connolly – Dusk till Dawn CD Review: Charlie Lennon & Johnny Óg Connolly – Dusk till Dawn Matt Cranitch Dusk till Dawn – Charlie Lennon & Johnny Óg Connolly (WorldMusic, WOM110)
CD Reviews: Aogán Lynch, Michelle O'Brien & Gavin Ralston Máire O'Keeffe Aogán Lynch, Michelle O’Brien & Gavin RalstonThe past fifteen years have generated an amazing amount of talented young musicians on all instruments and the musicians on this album, Michelle O’Brien, Aogán Lynch and Gavin Ralston,...

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