Ready For the Storm

DÉANTA: “Ready For the Storm” (Green Linnet)

Déanta are a sextet of musicians from Northern Ireland who’ve managed to gather a rake of superb traditional tunes together with a couple of their own compositions to create a fine coherent set that’s all their own.

Armed with whistles, flute, fiddles, bazouki, harp, guitar and Neil Martin’s incomparable cello, they breathe soft life to some tunes so well-known they’ve been in danger of becoming set in stone forever (‘The Lakes Of Ponchartrain’, ‘Eleanor Plunkett’), as well as to many lesser travelled ones equally deserving of an airing, (‘An Raibh Tú Ar An gCarraig’, ‘The Benedy Glen’).

Refreshing and managing to reach parts other albums fail to reach, Ready For The Storm is a sparkling reminder that new blood means new life to traditional tunes. Long may the replenishments continue!

• Siobhán Long