'Lane to the Glen' celebrates the golden age of Irish traditional music from County Sligo
OISÍN MAC DIARMADA, DAITHÍ GORMLEY, SAMANTHA HARVEY
Lane To The Glen, 2024, Ceol Productions
13 Tracks, 41 Minutes'Superb —from the get go you know this is going to be good' - Seán Laffey, Irish Music Magazine
Pronunciations:
Oisín Mac Diarmada - O-sheen Mac DEER-mada
Daithí Gormley - DAH-hee
Ceol - key-OHL (meaning "music")
Téada - TAY-dah (meaning "strings")
Sligo - SLY-goSLIGO, IRELAND (Oct. 31, 2024) - Oisín Mac Diarmada of the band Téada releases a new trio album with Daithí Gormley and Samantha Harvey, Lane to the Glen, celebrating the musical tradition of their home county of Sligo, Ireland, with the classic instrumentation of fiddle, button accordion, and piano.
The album is self-released on Mac Diarmada's Ceol Productions label, and available through Bandcamp or oisinmacdiarmada.com.Lane to the Glen features a wealth of rare tunes spanning the golden age of Sligo music in the early and mid-20th century. A beautiful wild county in the west of Ireland, Sligo is famous for its musical tradition.
"Sligo tunes have an undefinable quality of lift and swing," says Sean Laffey in Irish Music Magazine.
Compositions on the album are from luminaries including Ed Reavy (who wrote the title track), Charlie Lennon, Paddy O’Brien, Tommy Maguire, Marty Fahey, James Kelly and Josie McDermott. Much of the music was sourced from America where many of the musicians had immigrated, from the 1920s dancehall bands of Irish America to influential recordings from Michael Coleman and others.
Fiddle player Oisín Mac Diarmada and button accordionist Daithí Gormley, considered two of Ireland's finest musicians, were both raised in Sligo and are steeped in the region's music and history. In 2017 they collaborated on ‘Fiddlers of Sligo Tunebook,’ with transcriptions of the fiddle repertoire of Sligo masters.
Samantha Harvey, an artist originally from California who performs frequently with her husband Mac Diarmada in Téada, provides nuanced backing on piano.
"Harvey's accompaniment is of the highest order," says Laffey. "She brings a sensitivity to Mac Diarmada’s and Gormley’s playing that reminds me of the synergy between Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill."
"Lane to the Glen is a superb collection...you’d be hard pushed to find a better traditional album this year," Laffey enthuses. "The bar has been set very high."
MORE ABOUT
Oisín Mac Diarmada began playing fiddle in Clare, before moving to Sligo at a young age and developing a deep interest in the playing style of the Sligo region. Founder of the internationally renowned group Téada in 2001, he's grown into one of Ireland's leading traditional musicians. A noted music scholar and educator, Mac Diarmada has won numerous All-Ireland awards including with his Innisfree Céilí Band, which also features his brother Cormac (of the group Lankum) and his sister Marie.Daithí Gormley is widely regarded as one of the finest button accordion players of his generation, steeped in the rich musical heritage of his native county Sligo. His 2018 debut album Fiddling without a Bow – Irish Traditional Music on Button Accordion, an expressive mix of old and new tunes in homage to past masters of Irish music, received wide acclaim.
https://www.facebook.com/daithigormleymusic/Samantha Harvey originally from Ventura, California now living in Sligo, is an award-winning step dancer and piano player. Samantha’s trademark energetic performances have seen her become a prominent touring performer and teacher. She appears frequently with Téada, and released The Green Branch, an album of fiddle and piano, with her husband Oisín Mac Diarmada in 2015.
https://www.samanthaharvey.net/biography
Oisín Mac Diarmada releases new trio album with Daithí Gormley & Samantha Harvey
