By Daniel Neely
As you read this, the 2016 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is raging away in Ennis, Co. Clare. I hadn’t arrived at the time of writing, but the reports are that 400,000 people are due to descend on Ennis over the Fleadh’s nine days beginning yesterday, including an estimated 10,000 musicians, 6,000 of whom will participate in the Fleadh’s 180 competitions. (This includes the New York Céilí Band, which for months has been loading up on the steak and spuds in preparation for our turn in the competition!)
Ennis is a small town for such a big crowd, but it appears that preparations have been carefully arranged and implemented. Reports are that everything is in place and ready to go. Facebook is showing me that kegs are lined up outside the pubs and the ban on street furniture is already in place. For the tech savvy, there’s an app to help folks navigate the week’s myriad events, concerts and competitions, and a hashtag – #Fleadh2016 – for those who are on social media who want to let people know what’s up. It’s going to be an absolute madhouse. I can’t wait to get there.
In the player this week is “The Lady’s Cup of Tea,” the new album from Mary MacNamara & Sorcha Costello. “The Lady’s Cup” is a wonderful collection of music, played with cool grace and outrageous lift. Folks who love East Clare music will go crazy for it, but I think this is a CD for anyone who loves what folks call the “nyah.” It’s just great stuff.
If you’re a regular reader, you’ve read about MacNamara here before. She’s an acclaimed concertina player and recording artist with an impeccable background in the music, who has put out several outstanding albums (including her most recent, “Note for Note,” which I reviewed here positively last summer). With flute player Lisa Coyne of Melrose, Massachusetts, she was also one of the organizers of the the “Trad Youth Exchange Program,” a musical and cultural exchange event that her organization the “East Clare Young Musicians” participated in in late 2014 and early 2015.
Costello is MacNamara’s daughter and a beautiful player in her own right. Her influences include her mother, of course, (with whom she has played her whole life), Martin Hayes, Gerry O’Connor (Dundalk), and Catherine and John McEvoy. She has played with her mother all over – from Shetland to Melbourne – but has had some great success in Fleadh competitions on her own in solo categories as well as in duets and céilí bands. She was also a featured performer on Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann’s 43rd annual “Echoes of Erin” tour of America in 2015.
Joining MacNamara and Costello on the album is Geraldine Cotter, who plays piano on every track but two. (Sorcha’s brother Pádraig Costello plays on the balance and recommends himself very well.) Cotter is absolutely brilliant and really ties the recording together. The lift she brings to “The Lady’s Cup” is mighty and reminiscent of that she brought to “Gléas,” the utterly outstanding album she made with the Boruma Trio. (Interestingly, that group included Mary’s brother Andrew MacNamara, who produced this album.)
“The Lady’s Cup” is a great album with extremely strong music throughout. MacNamara and Costello have uncovered some really interesting tunes (and versions of tunes!) and they play them together beautifully. The first track roars into gear like a steam engine, or perhaps more like a steampacket (which happens to be the name of the first tune), and sets the tone for everything to follow. MacNamara and Costello play with a singular vision, which is something that is apparent and greatly enjoyable on tracks like the reel sets “Leinster Buttermilk / …” and “Mike Flanagan’s / …,” the jigs “Paddy Fahy’s / …,” and the hornpipes “Peacock’s Feather / ….” There are also several solo features which reveal the nuances in MacNamara’s (“Port An Bhráthar / …” and “John Naughton's Green Mountain / …”) and especially Costello’s (“The Bunch Of Green Rushes / …” and “Sligo Fancy /…”) music. Every track is a delight.
“The Lady’s Cup of Tea” is an outstanding album. The musicianship is top notch, the selection extremely tasteful, and it’s just a joy to listen to. Trad music fans take note: this is one you’ll want to have! To learn more about MacNamara and “The Lady’s Cup of Tea, visit www.marymacnamara.net.
Daniel Neely writes about traditional music each week in the Irish Echo.
