SEAN RYAN: “Cliarai Ceoil – Minstrel’s Fancy” (Gael Linn)

TIPPERARY-BORN whistle player Sean Ryan takes his inspiration in equal parts from the vibrant traditional scene in the Galway area, where he plays regularly and from the restored medieval building in which he lives.

His playing style is distinctively rhythmic and energetic and with his vast repertoire of tunes, drawn from a wide variety of sources, Ryan is in constant demand on the traditional circuit. He has played support to De Dannan in America, appearing at the Irish Festival in Milwaukee and has also toured extensively around Europe.

On this lively collection he is joined by a slew of top players, including De Dannan members, Alec Finn and Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh, piano player Patsy Broderick and the ubiquitous and talented fiddle player, Maire Breathnach.

The album kicks off with a trio of jigs: ‘The Ship In Full Sail’, ‘The Mist On The Meadow’ and ‘The Legacy’, continuing with a couple of reels, ‘Mise McLeod’s’ and ‘St Anne’s’ – tunes which have been associated with Ryan’s playing for years.

The two airs included are ‘Slán le Maigh’ and ‘Mickey Finn’s’ while a pair of redowas (waltzes or polkas which are Bohemian in origin) – ‘The Limerick Waltz’ and ‘The Barnacle Redowa’, showcase his stylistic versatility and adeptness with his chosen instrument.

A curious credit on the liner notes states that Anne Callanan was responsible for “dancing” duties on ‘The Kilkenny Races’, one of the two set dances on the album. Further investigation reveals that she danced on a table which was brought into the recording studio for the occasion! Eat your heart out Din Joe!

The album rounds off on an upbeat note with the exuberant and oddly-titled ‘Is The Big Man Within’ and a slip-jib, the well-known ‘The Sport Of The Chase’.

Recorded at Bord na Gaeilge’s Studio 7 with Catherine Consodine at the controls, Minstrel’s Fancy is an eminently listenable record.

• Colm O’Hare