The Storm
(49/100 Greatest Irish Albums)

Pioneering, innovative and hugely successful, Moving Hearts remain one of the most important Irish groups. The original line-up included Christy Moore, Donal Lunny, Declan Sinnott, Davy Spillane, Keith Donald and Eoghan O’Neill – and their 1981 debut contained politically-charged songs such as ‘Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Russian Roulette’ and Jackson Brown’s ‘Before The Deluge’. But it was their consummate skill at fusing rock, traditional and even classical elements into a wholly original sound that defined them. After Moore’s departure, they went through several singers including Mick Hanly and Flo McSweeney before settling on an all-instrumental approach for their third and final studio album, The Storm. Donald’s soaring alto sax and Spillane’s uileann pipes/low whistle provided the core melodic voice on dramatic, sweeping pieces such the title track, ‘The Lark’, ‘The Titanic’ and ‘May Morning Dew’. Lunny, drummer Matt Kelleghan and percussionist Noel Eccles supplied the rhythmic textures that combined make this a classic