Saffron And Blue

The McGuires have long been stalwarts of fiddles and bows. With his brother Seamus, Manus McGuire has never encountered much difficulty in cornering the market in pensive, considered playing, whether it be Breton, Irish, Scottish or French Canadian.

His reputation was forged many years ago with Buttons And Bows, and Saffron And Blue marks his long-overdue debut. It’s a collection of remarkably catholic taste. Scaffolded by a hefty nine original tunes, he swing shifts between the high spirits of Scottish hornpipes such as ‘The Ariel Hornpipe’ and Canadian quadrilles (engineered with remarkable precision and grace).

There’s a certain McGuire penchant for the waltz which finds voice here too: Manus’ self-penned opener ‘Genevieve’s Waltz’ is a model of restrained elegance, curtsying and demurring in all the right places.

His fiddling style betrays a healthy meld of vibrant flourishes and languid smoothness. Slow airs are treated to loping arrangements. ‘Molly At The Fair/The Pride Of Rathmore’ entwine around another reel, ‘The Girls Of Farranfore’ in a hop skip and a jump of a threesome, while the closing quintet of reels lassoed by ‘Billy Brocker’s’ and ‘Lucy Campbell’ are a lithe concoction of epic proportions.

Saffron And Blue is an able flagbearer for Manus McGuire. It remains to be seen whether that will be enough to garner a younger audience – or whether McGuire’s riches will be sampled mainly by a more seasoned punter.