'Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.' - Victor Hugo French Poet & Novelist
This memorable work of Micheál Ó hEidhin and his two distinguished collaborators, Charlie Lennon and Steve Cooney, is in the tradition of the ceol sidhe.
There is power in this music that speaks to the soul. This has to do partly with the scope and variety of the music but more especially with the spirit and style of the performance. The style is gentle, relaxed, effortless — a hallmark of the true artist.
When a member of the Sidhe invited a human to the otherworld, a branch of an apple tree was made to appear, laden with golden apples that when shaken sounded like bells tinkling. The Sidhe would shake the branch and the music it made lured the human away. The beauty of that music had the power to allay fear, to soothe one to sleep, even to cure a sickness or heal a wound.
"Beautiful mature music from 3 masters of our music, a masterpiece"! Copperplate
" Are we listening to the Instrumental Album of the Year? We think the answer is Yes! Quite likely."USA National Public Radio
"Grace and charm, musicality, and plenty of expression: that's the music of Micheal O'Hynes". Alex Monaghan
Also available from Copperplate:
Charlie Lennon: Turning the Tunes
Audio Samples.
Ask My Father:
The Twelve Pins:
Mrs Galvin:
Track Listing
- Billy Rushe's Own Jig/Michael's Own Jig
- Anthony Dick's/Green Grow The Rushes O/Jimmy Lyon's Highland.
- Ask My Father/What's The Hurry?
- The Salthill Hornpipe
- Limerick's Lamentation
- Michael's Welcome to Charlie/The Twelve Pins
- Easter Snow
- The Miller of Drone/The Duchess of Atholl
- The Humours of Knockawinna/Munster Bacon
- Con Carthy's/The City of Savanah
- The Enchanted Valley
- Micho Russell's/Brennan's Reel
- Batt Henry's Barndance
- The Resting Chair
- The Tailor's Twist/The Locomotive
- Bunker Hill/Rakish Paddy
- Joe Bane's/Poll Halfpenny/Mrs Galvin
- Na Geanna Fiane
- The Magic Slipper/Johnny O'Leary's/Babes in the Wood
Press Reviews
Irish Music MagazineA well-known Galway musician, piano accordionist in his youth and later switching to the concertina to save his back, Micheal O'Hynes has a sureness of touch and a fondness for the nuances of slower tunes which comes with a certain maturity. He also acquired a strong interest in more unusual traditional dance forms - clogs, strathspeys, flings, clan marches and the like - from his Clare and Galway parents. Many of these are to be heard on Ceol Sidhe along with more familiar reels and jigs such as Bunker Hill, Brennan's, Rakish Paddy and Munster Bacon.
Micheal is joined on this impressive recording debut by adopted Galwayman, Charlie Lennon on fiddle and the well-travelled Steve Cooney on guitar. There are two of Charlie's compositions here, and four of Micheal's own: the rest are broadly traditional. The pace is restrained, but that only enhances the quality of this music. Like a fine malt whiskey, this album reveals more with time. And after all, as the title of Micheal's delightful jig says, What's the Hurry?
Ceol Sidhe, music of the magical and mischievous Irish faery folk, doesn't actually include any of the numerous tunes attributed to fairy musicians - with one possible exception. The slow air The Enchanted Valley may be such a tune, ancient, modal, haunting on .solo concertina. Much of Micheal's music is similarly magical, particularly his slow airs: faster Snow, The Wild Geese, Da Auld Resting Chair by the late Tom Anderson from Shetland, and a spellbinding version of Limerick's Lamentation which progresses from march to jig to air. Green Grow the Rushes and Jimmy Lyons' Highland are familiar as flings in Donegal, and continue the Scottish strand here, which culminates in as fine a pair of strathspeys as I've heard from Irish players. There's also a great selection of hornpipes and clogs: The Tailor's Twist, City of Savannah, The Locomotive and Charlie Lennon's Salthill. Charlie features prominently on a superb pair of reels, Micheal's Welcome to Charlie and his own composition The Twelve Pins - named after the pub in Finsbury Park, no doubt.
Grace and charm, musicality, and plenty of expression: that's the music of Micheal O'Hynes. Alex Monaghan
www.liveIreland.com
Ceol Sidhe features Steve Cooney, Charlie Lennon, and Michael Hynes on guitar, fiddle and concertina, respectively. There are 19 cuts on the album, each more brilliant than the other. Believe it or not, there are only two sets of reels! This album is adults playing Irish music. Perfectly. Not 305mph, like so many of today's children. If you love Irish traditional music, this is the perfect instrumental album. We know Copperplate in London has it. Bill Margeson
