Lake of Learning

It’s the “& Friends” who provide much of the instrumental oomph on this third album by Tim O’Shea: concertina player Barry Magee, who contributes a lovely unaccompanied rendition of O’Carolan’s ‘Mr O’Connor’ among other solo pieces; Matt Bashford on uilleann pipes, low whistle and clarinet; Ger Culhane on accordion; and fiddler Paddy Jones, one of the few remaining students of the legendary Sliabh Luachra master Padraig O’Keeffe. That said, O’Shea’s fine solo guitar performance of his own composition ‘Feartha Famine’ leaves one wishing he’d included more in that vein. The other O’Shea original here is the title track, an interesting attempt at blending myth and history. As a singer he lacks a certain depth, but his cover of Ron Kavana’s ‘Reconciliation’ is excellent, with Bashford doubling up on clarinets for an unusual backing.