Eamonn Costello (button accordion) and Cathal Clohessy (fiddle) have being playing together as a duo since 2008.They released their debut album Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle, an album of Irish traditional music, in June 2010. On the album Rodney Lancashire guests on five tracks playing bouzouki and mandolin. The remainder of the album consists of solos and duets. On a number of traditional tunes Cathal and Eamonn experiment with: tempo, dynamics, and counter melodies. However, the majority of tracks on the album are played in a more 'traditional' manner. Cathal and Eamonn have also composed a number of pieces on this album.

Cathal hails from Fedamore in Co. Limerick. He is influenced by the music of his own West Limerick, as well as the music of North Connacht. He is from a very musical family; both of his sisters and his brother play Irish music. One of his main teachers on the fiddle was Maureen Glynn Connolly (R.I.P). Cathal holds a number of All-Ireland titles at under-age level in duet and slow-air playing. He has also toured extensively with various traditional ensembles.

Eamonn is from An Cheathru Rua (Carraroe) in the Connemara Gaeltacht. His style of accordion playing is influenced by the music of Connemara and the music of North Connacht. He has guested on collaborations with a number of musicians and groups, including: Mactira (2000), Frozen Fish (6-Pack, 2004), Papua Merdeka: Tribal Songs of Love and Freedom (2004). Eamonn holds a B.A in Irish Music and Dance from the University of Limerick and an M.A in Ethnomusicology from University College Cork.

Rodney is originally from Cotehill in Co. Cavan. His style of accompaniment is inspired by the bouzouki playing of John Faulkner and Andy Irvine. Rodney has recorded two traditional/folk albums: Mactira (2000), and Tireile (2003). He has also produced a number of albums, and he has toured England, Europe, and America with various traditional groups. In 2007 Rodney graduated with a 1st class Masters in Irish traditional music from the University of Limerick.

Press Reviews

There are times when we should treat ourselves to music that has at its core the essence of what it's all about. This is always best appreciated in duo's or trio's. The accordion and fiddle combo have featured over the years on many great recordings and when they fuse it can indeed be a magical pairing.

On Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle Cathal Clohessy and Éamonn Costello have now added to this collection. It is an album that hits all the right notes and creates some magic in the process. They have pared the music right back and have opted to present it in a refreshingly clear and crisp manner. They have intentionally divided the album into three sections: duets on button accordion and fiddle, trio on button accordion, fiddle, and bouzouki, and accordion and fiddle solos. It is gently restrained music that lets the tunes live and breath. It is traditional music as it should be played and it is an album that you can fall in love with. The arrangements are perfect.

The Stray-Away Child is a lovely five part jig to open the album with. Likewise Sean Ryan's/Return To Milltown/Farewell to Milltown which is predominately accordion shows what a self assured player Éamonn is. He takes the tunes, and with a great tone that he gets from his accordion, delivers a beautiful set. With his home being the Connemara Gaeltacht, his playing has been very much influenced by the music of North Connaught region according to the album notes and this is evident here. As a pair they tackle the reels The Tempest/Farrell O' Gara's/Rhattigan's and deliver as tight a combination as your are likely to encounter on any album. I haven't had the pleasure to listen to many accordion and fiddle duet albums recently and having listened to Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle I am quickly realising what a pleasure I have been missing. It's good to get back to basics and these musicians deliver an album worthy of their talents. It captures two musicians with a deep love and understanding of the music.

The Living Tradition

'If you can't think up a fancy title for an album, then just tell people what it is' seems to be as good a marketing strategy as any, and you know that you'll never get done under the Trades Descriptions Act. Bosca Ceoil is Irish for button accordion, and fiddle is English for fidil, so that's cleared that up. Cathal (fiddle) and Eamonn (accordion) have been playing as a duo since 2008, and this CD is mostly duets and solos, but with Rodney Lancashire guesting on bouzouki and mandolin on five of the fourteen tracks.

The musicianship throughout this release is outstandingly good. Cathal and Eamonn take a 'less is more' approach, eschewing flashy pyrotechnics and preferring a gentle yet direct style which gets to the heart of the music and embodies it with a lift and drive whilst allowing all the subtleties of the tunes to be fully appreciated. This doesn't stop them from introducing counter melodies and arrangements, however, and, all in all, it's the sort of playing that draws the listener in and then rewards them handsomely for their time.

The music is influenced a fair bit by the mighty Michael Coleman, who is often held to be the most influential Irish traditional musician of the twentieth century, and the respect which this duo show to the background to their music ensures that twenty-first century playing passes on the flame. Just to give a contrast, the last track combines a Breton and A Neapolitan dance, which also gets the respectful treatment without losing any of the flair or drive needed. It really doesn't get much better than this. Gordon Potter

R2 ****

Cathal (fiddle) from Limerick and Eamonn (button accordion) from Connemara have been playing together as a duo since 2008. Their album title translates literally as Music Box [accordion] and Fiddle and apart from some sensitive bouzouki and mandolin accompaniment from Rodney Lancashire, that's exactly what you get. This is an album of two halves - duets and solos. However, Cathal and Eamonn are at their best when playing together, which they do with great precision. This is well illustrated on 'Farewell To Eyrecourt' where box and iddle are as one. Most of the arrangements are simple, though a few liberties are taken on occasion. For example, the start of Miss Langford turns it from being a reel into a slow air, with fiddle and accordion playing counter-melodies.

The lads' playing is rock steady throughout and very traditional in style. There's nothing showy, even on the solo tracks. What counts here is their clear respect for the music. Keith Whiddon

Taplas 11.2011

THIS DUO from Connemara and Limerick play mostly traditional tunes at a measured pace on button accordion and fiddle, with Rodney Lancashire's occasional bouzouki or mandolin adding extra colour.On some of his solos Eamonn Costello's box playing seems to try a little too hard with the ornamentation, but as a duo they experiment with interesting counterpoint melodies (as on the lovely version of The Strayaway Child, which opens the album) and throughout Cathal Clohessy's fiddle provides flow and bounce.

A careful selection of interesting tunes played with intensity and admirably devoid of any fashionable over-dressing. John Neilson

www.netrhythms.com

Cathal and Eamonn have been performing together as a fiddle-and-button-accordion duo since 2008, and yet this is their debut CD release. As the disc's plain-spoken title would appear to indicate, much of the record consists of solos and duets. Pick of these has to be Cathal's vigorous yet highly musical treatment of a pair of hornpipes (track 2 — the second of which, Clay's, was penned by Cathal himself), and Eamonn's tricky solo set of reels (track 4), but in truth every single track dazzles with a vital combination of proven musicianship and the virtue of exercising restraint in pacing above expressiveness. Taking that track 4 set of reels as an example, there's no lack of nifty precision in Eamonn's expert handling of his chosen instrument, and yet there's no feeling that he's hurrying through the notes to prove a point, and the musical communication of those notes is paramount.

The pair of jigs at track 6 is another key example of the musicians' empathy and their ability to combine and interpolate both unison and counter-melody techniques in their trade-offs; on this and a further four tracks, Eamonn and Cathal are augmented by Rodney Lancashire playing bouzouki or mandolin in nimble and refreshingly understated supporting mode. But it's for the brilliance, the precision and the sheer presence of the main players' contributions, naturally, that this disc will be purchased — and for those it will doubtless be hailed as a supreme example of its kind, both uplifting and invigorating, cutting but not grating in its rhythmic drive (check out the marvellous track 7 reel-set) and yet capable of flowing lyricism and impressive dynamic shading on slower pieces like Sergeant Early's Dream and the air Aisling Gheal.

Presentation is accomplished too; the booklet's notes on the tunes' sources are excellent, detailed and most informative. One engineering decision with which I would take issue, however, is that of leaving insufficient space between the individual tracks. The vast majority follow on absolutely instantaneously, with no chance to pause for breath even — this is not standard session practice, and I can't see the rationale for adopting this technique, even for a continuous home-listening sequence; it does mar the impact of the music-making ever so slightly, I feel, albeit a very minor point to make in the overall scheme of things. David Kidman August 2011

US NPR

Cathal Clohessy and Eamonn Costello are out with Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle. We know this one is also available from Copperplate in London, as it was they who brought it to our attention. This all-instrumental treat of 14 cuts is only for the dyed-in-the-wool, honest-to-heavens trad fan. But if that describes you, this is a great piece of business that you will love. A lot of the tunes are rare treats to be recorded and recorded perfectly. We cannot urge this album upon the real trad fan highly enough. A must-have.

Musical Traditions web site

I was sure that I'd like this CD before I'd even played it - for a start, the two gentlemen pictured on the sleeve look as if they're really enjoying the music and each other's company. Then there's the fact that Eamonn Costello is playing the same Cairdín melodeon that I play myself. And, to top it all, I've heard a melodeon called a lot of things in my time ... but 'music box' has never been one of them!

So - what of the record? A reviewer at alt-celtic-music wrote: 'A gentle master-class in the art of traditional Irish music', and I couldn't have put it better myself. We start with a very restrained version on Margaret Barry's splendid 5-part jig The Stray-Away Child, followed by The Minstrel's Fancy, a hornpipe I know as The Buck in the Mountain ... though we play it a little slower, in the English way - and call it The Duck in the Fountain! It's followed by the excellent Claw's Hornpipe - a tune we'll definitely have to learn.

Next comes Sergeant Early's Dream, described as a 'slow reel' - though it's played here as an air, or 'piece'. Six more conventional reels follow, including the lovely Gan Ainm. A nicely judged pair of jigs come next - it's always surprising to find such a lively tune as The Drowning of Bruckless commemorating the loss of more than 80 fishermen's lives. The reel Miss Langford is treated as was Sergeant Early's Dream, but then breaks into normal tempo after a couple of iterations.

It would be a bit tedious going through each track in turn, though mention should be made of track 13, Philobus / Brian O'Kane's (waltz and march) , though it should be noted that the 'march' is actually played as a barndance - and a damn fine one it makes, too!

It seems a shame to have any grumbles about such an enjoyable and interesting CD, but one thing does rather annoy me. I feel that any record should allow the listener a moment or two to digest what they've just listened to before setting off on the next track. The default 2 second gap is usually insufficient, in my opinion. Here we find that the gap has been cut to 1 second (or even less in a few cases), so that there's often no noticeable break between one tune and the next. This must have been done deliberately, since defeating the default 2 second gap has to be a conscious decision, and doesn't happen inadvertently. Damned if I understand why that decision was made. But it's a lovely record all the same. Rod Stradling

www.liveIreland.com

For the true true trad fan, it is hard to do better than Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle from Cathal Clohessy and Eamonn Costello on fiddle and button box, respectively. Copperplate in London has it available. This is a hard to find gem. The trad fan will adore this. Really terrific playing from two young men who really understand the tradition and play it gorgeously. We play this a LOT in the office. Just Google Copperplate. Welcome to heaven. Bill Margeson

Fatea Online Magazine

The title of the is album, "Bosca Ceoil & Fiddle" becomes blindingly obvious if you know that bosca ceoil is gaelic for accordion, what with Cathal Clohessy being a master fiddler and Eamonn Costello being virtuoso on the squeezebox. Despite the duo having performed together since 2008, this is actually their debut album, it's been a long time coming, but definitely worth the wait. Occasionally adding the bouzouki and mandolin of Rodney Lancashire, this album brings in stunning individual solo flights to complement the captivating duets. Reel, jig and waltz to great tunes.Tim Carroll

www.allcelticmusic.com

Another gentle master-class in the art of traditional Irish music.

The Irish Times

It's not every day a debut cuts through the ether with such razor-sharp precision. This box and fiddle duo lay claim to regional styles stretching from north Connaught to west Limerick, but the most striking features of this fresh-faced collection are the idiosyncrasies of their musical personalities and the delicateness of their arrangements. The gothic grandeur of Sergeant Early's Dream, where fiddle and box don't so much play the tune as infiltrate its every pore, is akin to the delicate deconstruction of tunes so beloved of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. Costello's box playing is impressively restrained, and his own waltz composition, Aile Dhomhain, a masterclass in minimalism. Clohessy strikes the kind of mournful tone on the Breton An Dro that haunts the subconscious long after the tune has evaporated. Pin-prick precision crossed with musical curiosity. (Four Stars!) Siobhan Long

Irish Music Magazine

Tunes are the order of the day with 'Bosca Ceoil and Fiddle' the new CD by fiddler, Cathal Clohessy and box player, Eamonn Costello with Rodney Lancashire on bouzouki providing gentle accompaniment.

Bringing a West Limerick and North Connaught influence the lads begin with 'Stray away Child' a five part jig composed by the late Margaret Barry from Cork. This track sets the tone for the rest of the CD in that it prepares the listener for purely unadorned playing with no added extras. The box and the fiddle blend perfectly together note for note and it is obvious that a lot of technical thought has gone into the tune. This carries through and is apparent in 'Sean Ryan's' set and the 'Tempest' set which pace steadily and are again note perfect.

For some reason I can't quite pinpoint, I prefer the solo renditions on the CD with 'Claw's Hornpipe' a composition by Cathal flowing beautifully on the fiddle and Eamonn's jig 'Loch Pholl an Ghaine' timed flawlessly. Watch out for a breathy waltz by the name of 'Aille Dhomain' and an emotive air on track ten in the form of 'Aisling Gheal'.

The detail and historical depth on the sleeve notes are a major benefit to the tune dissection with mini biogs of the composers and descriptive anecdotes adding to the vivid imagery of the recordings. This CD is all about technical skill and intellectual arrangement with a subtle experimentation on dynamics. If your perception of a good traditional CD is an explosion of fast paced jazzed up music then this is not for you, however, if you prefer thoughtful sensitivity then this is right up your street. Eileen McCabe.

froots magazine

There's nothing quite like a fiddle/button accordion pairing to warm the cockles and the combination of Limerick's Cathal Clohessy and Connemara's Eamonn Costello (with occasional accompaniment from Rodney Lancashire on bouzouki and guitar) proves more than up to the task.Costello shows sensitivity lacked by many box merchants, exhibited to great effect on the reel Sean Ryan's, and in cahoots with Clohessy, an equal aficionado of the hidden note, produce music that both lifts the spirit and sets the toes tapping. Geoff Wallis.

Irish Music Magazine

This album by Eamonn Costello and Cathal Clohessy is leisurely music not heady in any extreme, yet it reaches the emotional core ... Cathal Clohessy's fiddling shines on the Minstrel's Fancy, while Eamonn's solo on Sean Ryan's shows a player who is assured in both technique and style and is well able to coax many nuances out of the tunes. Aisling Gheal offers Cathal Clohessy a solo opportunity which he takes and triumphs, his telling of the air bordering on definitive. Rodney Lancashire's bouzouki and mandolin [...] contributes minimalist though subtle and highly ornate work on the album. John O'Regan.

Folk-World

Remarkable and routine simultaneously, this debut recording from two young bucks is a multi-layered mixture. Cathal plays West Limerick fiddle, while box-player Eamonn hails from Connemara, and the two meet musically somewhere in North Connacht. They are joined for a few tracks by Cavan man Rodney Lancashire on bouzouki and mandolin, but this CD is basically box and fiddle, separately and in combination. One of the remarkable things is that these lads take their time: The Strayaway Child opens at a nice steady pace, and The Minstrel's Fancy follows with a slightly flat rhythm but clearly at hornpipe speed. In fact, one or two selections here are a little too slow for my liking - or too metronomic in their observance of the slow tempo. I'm thinking of Sergeant Early's Dream and Brian O'Kane's. No complaints about the slow version of Miss Langford, though: this piece is beautifully interpreted. There's plenty of toe-tapping music here too, including the oddly cheerful jig The Drowning of Buckless and a great selection of reels starting with Farewell to Eyrecourt. Another remarkable aspect of this CD is the detailed notes and monochrome photos which give an air of maturity and consideration to the whole project.

Contrary to my natural inclination, I was more taken with the fiddle solos than the box-playing on this album. Whether it's on his own Claw's Hornpipe or the well-known air Aisling Gheal, Cathal's fiddle holds the attention effortlessly. Not that there's nothing good coming out of the box: Eamonn contributes an intriguing little jig Loch Pholl an Ghainne and a graceful modern waltz, both his own. The routine aspect of this music is the easy familiarity of the tunes and style, the relaxed duetting [sicjas though this was just another local session, and the total immersion in each other's playing which is usually the preserve of much older musicians. When the fiddle and box come together here, they can meld completely into the most perfect of duets, where it's impossible to hear where one instrument ends and the other begins. The Tempest is a case in point, and the final meaty track of Breton and Italian melodies underlines their tight timing. With this degree of understanding, Clohessy and Costello are certainly a pair to watch for the future. Alex Monaghan.