Keepers Of The Flame (Various Artists)

This 18-track compilation is an exhilarating mix of songs and tunes by travellers and their friends. It ranges over the decades, with a track from the fifties by fiddle players Paddy and Stephen ‘Spare Parts’ Rainey, to a comparatively recent version of ‘The Travelling People’ by Christy Moore and Declan Sinnott which is worth the album price alone.
Finbar Furey’s vocal performance on ‘The Travelling Lady’ is a reminder of how under-rated he is by our rock community, and Sean Tyrell does a pensive take on ‘Are There Any Travellers In Heaven’. But the real find is the soulful voice of Mary Frances Keenan on ‘The Home I Left Behind’. Herself and Kitty Cassidy ensure the female side of the traveller story is well represented.
The instrumental side is further enhanced by a brace of tunes from Paddy Keenan’s stirring pipes, plus sturdy tracks from John Doherty, Christy Dunne, Mickey Dunne, a plaintive version of ‘Anach Cuain’ from Finbar Furey and a live track from John Rooney. You also get Felix Doran’s live ‘The Fox Chase’, a fine example of the descriptive capabilities of the uilleann pipes.
Apart from its treasury of fine music, this album helps redress some of the mindless prejudice by showing how traveller music and musicians have enriched our culture.