I’ll start this end-of-year column by extending the warmest of congratulations to the great Ivan Goff, who performed with hit indie artist Hozier on “Saturday Night Live” last weekend. Goff did a magnificent job contributing whistle and uilleann pipes to Hozier’s excellent rendition of the Pogues’ holiday classic “Fairytale of New York,” which helped celebrate SNL’s landmark (and star-studded) 50th anniversary Christmas episode.
After the broadcast, social media was filled with praise for Hozier’s performance and many commenters specifically pointed out Goff’s poignant contribution. It’d be my hope that the performance will become a perennial SNL Christmas favorite.
Goff is one of traditional music’s great pipers and is a member of Danú, one of its most important acts. Their 2018 album “Ten Thousand Miles” was one of that year’s finest releases see here. Danú will be on a national tour of the US this March and you’ll want to check them out. For more information, visit here.
In more somber news, the legendary fiddle player Brendan Mulvihill has passed away. He was born in England in 1954; his father, the great fiddler Martin Mulvihill, moved the family in 1965 to the Bronx, where Brendan’s virtuoso abilities first began to bloom. Then, in the early 1970s, Brendan moved to Birmingham, England, where his music developed further, and he returned to New York in 1975 to form the Irish Tradition with Andy O’Brien and Billy McComiskey. Eventually, the band moved to Washington DC, where they had a notable residency at the Dubliner and later, a major role in establishing the traditional music scene in that area and Baltimore.
Mulvihill’s long and storied career had many chapters. He was an early member of Mick Moloney's Green Fields of America and performed with a long list of truly extraordinary musicians over the years such as (but not limited to) Paddy Keenan, Martin Hayes, and John Williams. He made several outstanding recordings with both Donna Long and Zan McLeod and most recently had been touring extensively with Angelina Carberry and Dan Brouder. He was a major influence on numerous young musicians (especially in the Mid-Atlantic area) including Jesse Smith, Brendan Callaghan and Jim Eagan, performed and taught at innumerable festivals, and was a featured artist in prestigious venues both in Ireland and the U.S., including the White House. His recent “Irish Scroll” tune books are must-haves for fiddle players (https://www.irishscroll.com/). Mulvihill’s star shone bright and he will be truly missed by all. Our thoughts go out to Clara, Olive, Brian, Gail, Dawn, and the rest the Mulvihill family in this very hard time.
The year 2024 was a terrific one for traditional music and yielded some really excellent albums. One I think we can all stand behind was Lúnasa’s “Live in Kyoto” https://www.lunasamusic.com. The playing was exceptional, but what I thought stood out about the album was how well it captured the group’s live energy. One of my favorites! Another was flute player John Wynne and fiddler John McEvoy’s “The Dancer at the Fair.” It featured lovely pure drop sounds from a couple of the best.
One of the year’s most intriguing releases was “Traditional Singing from Dublin,” by Macdara Yeates (https://macdarayeates.bandcamp.com/). Yeates is a brilliant singer (as this album shows), but his efforts over the years have played a major role in building a singing scene in Dublin from which a number of today’s notables have emerged. It’s deeply admirable work that is easily enjoyed.
It was a great year for solo artists, too! Button accordion player Diarmuid Ó Meachair’s eponymous album (https://diarmuidomeachairaccordionmusic.com/) was a stand out, as were the releases by banjo driver Elaine Reilly (“Epiphany”; https://elainereilly.bandcamp.com), flute player Brendan Mulholland (“Bartin’s Bay”; https://www.brendanmulholland.com/), and button accordionist David Munnelly (“Retro”; https://munnellymusic.bandcamp.com/). Each was a terrific showcase for a brilliant musician and a treat for traditional music fan ears.https://www.openthedoorforthree.com/
There were some lovely releases from small groups as well. I was knocked out by Open the Door for Three’s album “A Prosperous Gale” (https://www.openthedoorforthree.com/)
(https://www.openthedoorforthree.com/), which was superbly done. Oisín Mac Diarmada, Daithí Gormley, and Samantha Harvey’s “Lane to the Glen” (https://lanetotheglen.bandcamp.com/) was also very well done and an album I’ve returned to since first listening. I can say the same about “The One After It” (https://carlossweeneymccartin.bandcamp.com/), the album Dylan Carlos, Cein Sweeney, and John McCartin put out this year. Very tasteful music and exceptionally well played. Finally, for those interested in the sounds of an excellent session, there’s Johnny McCarthy and Eoin O’Raibhaigh’s “Under the Stairs” (https://underthestairs2.bandcamp.com) – warm, enveloping stuff.
And it wouldn’t be one of my columns if I didn’t draw attention to a couple things that shine a light on Irish music’s history. Back in March I wrote about Philip Duffy’s incredible book “On the Night: Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Musicians and Senior Céilí Band Winners 1951-2021” (https://onthenight.net/). For anyone interested in the history of CCÉ’s Céilí Band Competition, it’s not only THE book on the subject, it opens a window on a particularly important slice of music making that has often gone overlooked. A must have.
Then, there’s “Old Reels of the World,” the Irish Traditional Music Archive most recent compilation of archival recordings issued by the in Dublin. Drawing from ITMA’s Tom Davis, Tony Macmahon, and Larry Redican collections, it presents 21 tracks of sublime music from the 50s through to the 90s and gives them great context. Truly great stuff that anyone interested in traditional music will enjoy! See here. (https://www.itma.ie/)
So that’s that for 2024 – if last year was any indication on traditional music’s direction, we have a whole lot to look forward to in 2025! And I, for one, can’t wait!
