Worth Creating A Song And Dance For

I don’t know whether it’s a sign that it’s a tough old world out there or whether it’s symptomatic of a lingering begrudgery in the Irish bloodstream. Whatever the reason...the fact that Dervish are celebrating 21 years together seems to have drifted past largely unheralded. They’ve had the big birthday bash at Sligo Live I suppose, but they’re involved in running the festival themselves so it’s hardly like anyone is rushing out to shower them with plaudits.

A small island, we pride ourselves on being able to use our creativity and musical prowess to time and again put ourselves on the map globally, whether it be through the likes of Van Morrison, Thin Lizzy or U2, or whether it is with bands such as Lunasa and Dervish who have taken Irish music and Irish culture into some of the strangest parts of the globe. If you compare the way a country like Canada treats a band like Blue Rodeo to the way we treat a band like the Saw Doctors or Dervish, you see a complete lack of respect that doesn’t reflect well on us at all.
You may not be a Saw Doctors fan, you may not be a Dervish or a Lunasa fan. That shouldn’t prevent some degree of credit being given where it’s due. Anyone who has kept any kind of a business intact for over two decades deserves to be recognised for a self-evident level of ability and, for want of a better word, togetherness. Doing it in a business which is spiralling downwards in something resembling freefall when you don’t have any degree of structured financial backup should have jaws dropping in awe. Add to that the repeated ability to make great music, and I think it’s fair to say these guys deserve better. So where were the big summer festival gigs, the IRMA gala dinner, where are the Aosdana nominations, where will the Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award be?
Waterford’s Imagine Arts Festival manages to cover quite a lot of musical ground in a relatively short time this year. From the bums on seats certainty of Jack L to the raw nerves of Jinx Lennon there is, quite possibly, something for everyone. One of the more interesting enterprises on offer is T With The Maggies. Imagine combining the voices of The Bothy Band, Coolfin, Altan and Clannad. Triona and Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Moya Brennan. Yes, these four truly iconic singers, have come together in a remarkable collaboration. On the stage the ‘Maggies bubble with a mixture of instinctive tone, harmony and a generous helping of laughs. Each bring their choice of songs but mould them into the group with a unique soundscape of voice, piano, fiddle and harp.
Triona Ní Dhomhnaill performed with both Skara Brae and The Bothy Band. In the late ‘70s she moved from Ireland to the USA where she formed Touchstone. When her brother, Mícheál, also emigrated they both enjoyed considerable acclaim with Relativity and Nightnoise. She continues to record and has only recently released her latest solo album, The Key’s Within.
Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill was in the seminal Skara Brae with her and is renowned for her distinctive sean-nós style. Her father and aunt were avid collectors of traditional songs. Besides her numerous collaborations, including those with sister Triona and as a member of Dónal Lunny’s Coolfin, she has released a number of solo albums, most notably the pivotal No Dowry in 1991.
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh formed Altan with her late husband Frankie Kennedy in the late ‘80s and she continues to front the group as singer and exceptional fiddle player. Her debut solo album, Imeall, was released in 2009.
Moya Brennan has fronted Clannad since the mid ‘70s, clocking up 22 albums, a Grammy and an Ivor Novello award. She has performed and duetted with a wide range of artists, including Bono, Bruce Hornsby, Michael McDonald, Robert Plant and Paul Brady, among others. Her solo output includes seven albums, the latest being Heart Strings recorded live with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
T with the Maggies is served in the Forum Theatre on Monday October 25.
At the other end of the career path The Unthanks – you may remember them from their previous incarnation of Rachel Unthank and the Winterset – have still managed to garner praise from some fairly impressive fans in a relatively short period of time, with a few BBC Folk Awards nominations to their name. Built around Becky and Rachel, the Unthank sisters, the band capture both an old otherworldly folk based idiom and a more contemporary feel. They’re renowned for a certain glacial calmness, evincing the distance and detachment of the best of traditional folksong. They perform on Saturday October 23 at the Forum Theatre.
Also forming part of the festival’s musical offering is A Near Life Experience with Matt O’Dowd, whose songs take the country-folk of the mid-sixties as their starting point and incorporate poems of Waterford and North Tipperary. This will be taking place in Phil Grime’s Bar, Johnstown, Waterford on Tuesday October 26. The following evening trad ‘supergroup’ Balcan will be making an appearance at McLoughlin’s Bar in Waterford city.
Bangor born singer-songwiter Brendan Monaghan released his first solo record Precious Time back in 2003, putting his band the Cattle Company on hold to concentrate on solo work. Since then he has released No More Words in 2005 and Look No Further in 2008. Keeping up the regular hit rate his latest album Flicker of Hope, another slice of mellow melodicism, has just been released. Details of live shows to promote the release have yet to be announced – keep an eye on those horizons.