Friday 9 October 2009

Paddy Carty & Conor Tully - Traditional Music of Ireland (1985)



Paddy Carty & Conor Tully with Frank Hogan - Traditional Music of Ireland
(Trad Ireland - TradCD 002 - 2009)

Although this doesn't technically qualify as a 'rare recording', it most certainly qualifies as ceol álainn. Originally released by GTD on cassette in 1989, this spellbinding album was recorded shortly before Paddy Carty's death, and it truly is one of the great flute and fiddle albums. Carty's flowing East Galway sound is perfectly complemented by Tully's rich and lyrical playing, and Hogan's mandola accompaniment is consistently tasteful and sympathetic. This really is an incredible recording of the rich, lonesome sound of East Galway, and I cannot recommend it enough.

You can listen to Carty & Tully play 'Molly Bawn & Ryan's Rant' on the Trad Ireland website, where you can also buy the album, direct from the manufacturers.

You can also hear them play 'Come West Along the Road', and buy the album from Custy's Music.

You can hear extracts from 'Ryan's Rant' and 'Brian O'Lynn' at Claddagh Records, where you can also buy the album.


In the USA it is possible to buy the album from Copperplate Distribution, and they provide extracts from the tunes 'Red Tom of the Hills', 'Dowd's Favourite', and 'Galway Bay'. Copperplate have also posted the CD liner notes, and reproduced a press review by Earle Hitchner, originally printed in The Irish Echo.

Another source to buy the album in the USA is Celtic Grooves, and you can also buy the album from Ossian USA.

6 comments:

  1. This is indeed very good stuff.

    Bernie

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  2. Trad Ireland are to be commended for their sterling work in rescuing this classic album from the mists of obscurity, certainly.

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  3. What a strange instrument is the one on the cover, in front of the fiddle. A clarinet system on the flute ? Wish to get more details about it !

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  4. Actually Didier, it is a clarinet. I was talking to a clarinetist friend about it the other day, and she is 100% certain that it is simply a clarinet, and not some strange hybrid instrument. Sorry to disappoint you...

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  5. it is called a Radcliffe System flute. Wooden body on a Boehm's key system.
    http://www.oldflutes.com/articles/radcliff.htm

    I am glad this great album has been re-issued.cheers

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  6. Hello this is indeed a great album- I just wanted to let it be known that the album is also available from www.tradireland.ie- there's other good stuff on the website too like Micho Russell, Tommy Peoples and Seamus Tansey.

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