At The End Of The Day - Dervish

Description

They carry Irish history with them You can feel the pain as the splendid Cathy Jordan sings "An Spalpin Fanach" you can sense the release and joy in the opening "Touching Cloth reels" you can almost touch the despair and isolation in "Lone Shanakyle" and you can picture the vibrant Sligo traditions inherent in their playing of the jigs on "The Killavil Set". They have truly absorbed the techniques and, more importantly, the soul that has driven Irish traditional musicians through the years and come out of it with all the freshness verve and timeless appeal associated with the great Irish bands of the 70s and early 80s. There's some outstanding playing, notably from the creative triumvirate of Shane McAleer on fiddle, Liam Kelly on flute, and Shane Mitchell on accordion, but there's inventiveness too in some of their arrangements. The use of a Polish mazurka in the midst of a flying set of reels and the idea of inviting Swedish band Vassen to play the intoxicating "Josefin's Waltz" as the tailpiece of "I Courted A Wee girl" was a masterstroke. Initially I thought they'd made a rare mistake by recording "Eileen Mc Mahon" in a church. But Jordan sings the song - a party piece of her recently deceased father - with such emotional fragility that the echoey effect of the church is so eerie it is almost shocking Colin Irwin Folk Roots Track Listing: Touching cloth Ar Eirinn ni neosfainn Jim Coleman's set An spailpin fanach Packie Duignan's Lone shanakyle Drag her round the road Peata beag Trip to Sligo Sheila Nee Iyer Kilavill set I courted a wee girl Josefin's waltz Eileen McMahon