Uncovered

When flute and whistle player Garry Walsh moved ‘home’ to Ireland, having lived in Manchester since his early childhood, the musicians he met were surprised at his extensive knowledge of unfamiliar tunes. Passed down via his parents from his two grandfathers, John Walsh of Drogheda and John Joe Fahy of Skibbereen, they’d vanished from the standard session repertoire; when Garry sent a selection up to the Irish Traditional Music Archive, director Nicholas Carolan confirmed that he’d never come across them before. Uncovered is Garry’s first step towards preserving these tunes for posterity, along with a few originals of his own. By way of bringing the melodies to the fore, the arrangements have been kept deliberately simple, with straightforward backing from Johnny Neville on guitar and Colm Murphy on bodhrán, plus occasional guest appearances by Dave Hennessy on melodeon and Clare Fitzpatrick on fiddle.