Macalla Ma Hóige

It’s surprising that the concertina/accordion combination doesn’t figure more in traditional music, given the eloquence with which Noel Hill and Tony MacMahon made the case for it back in the 1980s. Happily, the Healy brothers have come along to fill the gap. Hailing from the musical hotbed of Corofin, Co. Clare, they’re just 23 and 21 years old respectively, but they swing along like old pros in that easygoing way they do down in Clare. With so many good tunes here, it’s hard to pick out favourites. ‘La Tombe dans les Pommes’ definitely merits a mention, as does Hugh’s masterful concertina solo on the demanding ‘Independence’ hornpipe. There’s tasteful backing from Fergal Scahill on guitars and bodhrán and Paul O’Driscoll on double bass, and a couple of tracks feature guest spots from Noel O’Donoghue on flute, Eric Healy on fiddle, Karol Lynch on banjo and Michael O’Connell on pipes.