Andy Irvine and Friends – Whelans, 9 August 2004 By Alice Farrell

Well, here I am, freshly back from Ireland , and with some new and exciting music to rave about, of course. Our trip brought me to my favorite Irish Meccas of music, Dublin and Doolin, and I managed to slip in a few gigs around the sightseeing and coordinating a trip that included various and sundry visits with relations.

Before arriving in Dublin , I knew that Andy Irvine was to be playing at Whelan's and so I made sure that I was set to make it down for that gig. A pilgrimage to this hub of the best in Irish traditional and contemporary music is always a must for me on any trip to Dublin, and to my surprise, I discovered upon arriving there that night that flute great Michael McGoldrick and piper extraordinaire John McSherry were playing two doors down at The Village. Since I had already planned to see Andy Irivine , and the lineup included some folks that I hadn't heard before, I opted to stay where I was, and boy am I glad that I did!

The evening was a Round-Robin of sorts, featuring Andy, two amazing women from Australia named Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton http://www.kateandruth.com and a duo from England and Australia, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan http://www.kerrfagan.com

The evening was focused fully on songs of the working classes, including seafaring songs, labor songs, coal and gold mining songs, and of course a few of Andy's well known standards thrown in for good measure.

The first set featured songs with intricately woven and richly beautiful harmonies from Kate and Ruth, intertwined with fiery fiddle playing from Nancy Kerr and the nimble fingered bouzouki playing of James Fagan . Andy remarked that James is one of only 4 people in the world who play the same guitar bodied bouzouki as Andy. I was particulary taken with the wonderful songs that Kate and Ruth brought to the party, including and Australian seafaring song called The Wreck of The Dandenong , which featured impassioned vocals by Kate and invoked the vision of stranded sailors and the power of the ocean.

Andy gave his a great dose of humour and repartee with the song O'Donohue's , a story song about his own discovery of music and abandonment of an acting career to follow the trail of trad. He was at his witty best, aptly describing the situations and vibrance that he feels for the music and the people who play it alongside him. Clearly he was having a fabulous time!

Highlights from Nancy and James included a wonderful bouncy tune about a limping cow and Nancy 's rendition of the Dunnes Store Strike Song , made famous by Christy Moore, which, according to Nancy , was actually written by her mother English folk singer Sandra Kerr. I've checked on the liner notes of Christy Moore's box set, and it is listed there as “author unknown”, so this is a great find, and a fabulous rendition of this stirring song about the bold rebellion of the working class store clerks against the importation of oranges from South African companies that participated in the atrocities of apartheid. Nancy also sang terrific comical song which currently features in an English TV commercial called Dance to Your Daddy, a sprightly song about a fish, complete with an almost yodel like quality to her voice that was fabulous. Nancy plays a mean fiddle too and there were a number of lively tunes from her and James peppered throughout the evening.

More songs from Kate and Ruth included a saucy rendition of Bob Dylan's Boots of Spanish Leather and an Appalachian love song.

Andy rounded out the evening with his epic My Heart's Tonight in Ireland , making me very happy that I was heading for the Sweet County Clare in a few days.

The crowd was so enjoying the evening, that they were all brought back for three encores which included all the musicians on a wonderful version of the Australian folk song Gladiators , and finishing off with Andy's tribute to Woody Guthrie, Never Tire of the Road .

My friend Barbara and I were quick to head to the merchandise table after the show and I can highly recommend the two cds by Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton that we purchased Swapping Seasons and A Thousand Miles More . We put them in the player as we drove across from Dublin to Doolin, and we found the songs so catchy that we were all singing them by the end of the journey! Although I've heard that they are currently pursuing solo careers, these recordings of them together are rich and ribald, with loads of inspired and hearty songs from the rich catalog of Australian and Irish folks songs, and their warm and resonant harmonies make them a must for any collection.

Later in the week I got the chance to see Cork singer/ songwriterJohn Spillane , known for many of his songs which have been recorded by the likes of Karan Casey, Christy Moore and Sinead O'Connor , and his own time with band Nomos, in a lively gig at the Green Room at the Holiday Inn Hotel, featuring many songs from his solo efforts, including Johnny Don't Go to Ballincollig, Will We Be Brilliant Or What, The Dance of the Cherry Trees, I'm Going to Set You Free, Magic Nights in the Lobby Bar and Princes Street . He also gave us a number of new songs including one hilarious one which was an epic tone poem on the visit of the killer whales to Cork in the summer of 2002. At times during the show I wondered whether I was at a stand-up comedy show or a concert, but his brilliant lyricism, combined with his lovely melodies and way with grace notes made for a delightful evening.

Another great find that night was Clive Barnes , a Wexford native who plays lap steel like he was born in the bosom of the deep American South. Amazing slide and songs from his award winning album Goldtooth Cinnamon , which I'm forwarding onto our own John for review when he returns from his wanderings with Altan.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and although the music in Doolin wasn't what I had hoped for, the wealth of new music that I found in Dublin , as always sent me home with loads of new wonders to share. Look for a review of the wonderful The Diamond Mountain Sessions Presents coming soon, along with Mark Geary's sophomore release Ghosts , a demo release by new Dublin singer/songwriter Alyanya and the new album Burn the Maps from the Frames . And if you're in the New York area, watch for my preview piece on the Irish music and Dance show Shaylyn , coming to the Town Hall theatre in October.

Now I'm off to finish unpacking and catch up on some listening! Until next time….