Irish Traditional Music
Temple Records COMD2079; 73
minutes; 2000
The Topic label released a substantial number
of Irish traditional albums during the 1960s and 1970s and several of these owe
their origins to Robin Morton, founder member of Boys of the Lough and nowadays
owner of Midlothian’s Temple Records. Among the singers and musicians Robin
recorded on his travels around Ireland were Geordie Hanna and Sarah Anne O’Neill,
Josie McDermott, Len Graham and Joe Holmes, and Vincent Griffin (all of whose
albums appeared on Topic), as well as his classic collection of songs from John
Maguire, Come Day, Go Day, God Send Sunday, which appeared on the Leader
label. 
However, as Robin describes in his liner notes for Irish Traditional Music:
Slowly, but surely, Topic let these albums slip from their lists and the masters have been on my shelves for years. Occasionally, the recording quality leaves something to be desired, but the music cuts through. I do take some pride, however, in the fact that the recordings were made live, on a two-track recorder, in hotel bedrooms and sitting rooms or kitchens of the musicians or their friends. The joy of these musicians and their music can, and should, be heard above the din of politics and the clang of modern life.
With such an intention in mind Robin released this
compilation, drawing upon the material from three albums: 1) Drops of Brandy
by the Fermanagh uilleann piper Seán McAloon and the Antrim hammer dulcimer
player John Rea; 2) Music from Co. Leitrim by Roscommon flute player
Packie Duignan and Leitrim fiddler Séamus Horan; and, 3) John Rea’s solo album Traditional
Music on the Hammer Dulcimer. The liner booklet includes all Robin’s
original sleevenotes from the Topic LPs, though, sadly, only Séamus Horan is still alive
today.
Of course, one single CD cannot possible provide room for all the tracks from three vinyl albums, so purchaser’s acquire a broad selection of twenty-five tracks, seven or eight taken from each of the original releases. This reviewer’s personal preference leans towards the duet tracks, especially the unique sound of McAloon’s pipes and Rea’s dulcimer on Tim the Turncoat/The Quarrelsome Fiddler, a singular concatenation, and the mellifluous delights of the flute/fiddle combination on The Shores of Lough Gowna/The Rose and the Heather. Yet there’s plenty elsewhere to delight, including Seán’s ever crisp piping, the harmonics of John’s Roaring Mary, the roll and tumble of Packie’s The Duke of Leinster (in cahoots with guest whistler Seán Wynne), and Séamus’s perky The Geese in the Bog.
Unless some eccentric millionaire or lottery winner with large pockets suddenly endows Topic with a huge bag of moolah none of these three albums will reappear in their entirety as CD reissues. So, either look out for the originals on auction sites or try this tempter from Temple – you won’t regret it.
Geoff Wallis
2nd May, 2006
For more
information visit www.templerecords.co.uk.