PAUL BRENNAN
Airs and Graces
Irish Traditional Music & Song

With

Carrig:
Paul Brennan (Pipes/vocals)+ Brendan McGlinchey (fiddle) + Nigel Portman Smith (bass) + Kev Boyle (guitar, keyboards)

Orchestrad:
Katie Trueman (cello) + Nick Fielding (violin) + Chris  Walker (Violin) + Jean Kelly (harp/string arranger) + Paul Brennan (Uilleann pipes/Whistles)

"This release incorporates old recordings going back a few decades alongside more recent ones. Therefore thre will be some differences in sound quality due to the time of recording and the different studios used. I hope this does not detract from y our listening experience. There are tunes and songs which I have been playing and singing for many years and for the most part learned in Counties, Down, Antrim and London Town. A few of the tunes can be found in O'Neill's 1001 Gems". Paul Brennan Nov 18

BIOG
PAUL BRENNAN
( UILLEANN/IRISH PIPER/ SINGER)

Traditional musician from Co. Down, Northern Ireland.
Co-founded Belfast School of Piping (Uillean Pipes info). Since being based in London, it has formed three working bands, CARRIG (Irish traditional), ORCHESTRAD (17th / 18th century harp tune ensemble), PAUL BRENNAN BAND (Irish and covers in a rock style).
One of London’s leading session musicians and live performer. As well as commercials and television work, his film credits have included such composer / directors as, Ismael / Ivory, Neil Jordan; George Fenton,James Horner, Howard Shore's ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘Little and Large Show’, Trevor Jones and Disney etc. Played the part of a medieval musician in Ridley Scotts' 'Robin Hood,' Co-arranged and played the jigs in the wedding scene in Harry Potter; 'Deathly Hallows' Part One.
He has been a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Royal Albert Hall Proms - 1999)

Worked and recorded with: Fat Lady Sings, Kiki Dee, Jose Feliciano, Elton John, Pentangle, Dreadzone etc. and has played at private functions for Madonna, Russel Crowe, Guy Richie, Vinnie Jones and President of Ireland, Mary McaLeese, amongst others.

Member of INCANTATION for two years. Co-arranged, developed and toured worldwide with THE RAMBERT DANCE COMPANY’S ballet, ‘Sergeant Early’s Dream’ for two years.
Part of a team of musicians who contributed in the development of Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical, ‘THE BEAUTIFUL GAME’.
Private performances for members of the British Royal family. A versatile performer supported by the leading musicians of the day.

Audio

Track 1: Paddy Go Easy

Track 2: Bonnie Labouring Boy

Track 3: The Widow O'Hara

Track 4: Boil The Breakfast Early

Track 5: London Town

Track 6: The Pleasures of Hope

Track Listing DISC 1

1. Alexander
2. Kitty O'Mahoney / Paddy Go Easy
3. Thoma's Leixlip the Proud
4. When You Go Home / Come Along With Me / Munster Bacon
5. Molly Bawn Lowry
6. The Banks of the Bann
7. Bonny Bunch of Roses
8. The Bonny Labouring Boy
9. The Pipers Jig / The Swan Among the Rushes / Behind the Bush in the Garden
10. Erin the Green
11. Lost and Found*/ The Widow O'Hara*
12. Silver Tip / Bush in Bloom / More Luck to Us / Avonmore
13. The Renegade*
14. John Roy Lyle
15. The Bonnie Wee Lass That Never Said
16. Lament for Young Terrance McDonagh
    DISC 2
17. Green Grow the Laurels
18. Humours of Trim / Father Fielding's Favourite / Green Meadow / Move up to Me
19. Fanny Power
20. Bonnie Blue Eyed Lassie
21. I'm Waiting for You / Callan Lassies / Coming over the Hills / Boil the Breakfast Early
22. The Factory Girl
23. January Snow*
24. Barney O'Neill / Have a Drink with Me / Old Man Dillon / The Man Who Died and Rose Again
25. Rose of Ardee
26. Nancy Vernon
27. Green Garters
28. The Cascade Jig*/ Black Causeway / Humours of Ballydom
29. Jock Stewart
30. The Pleasures of Hope / O'Donnel's Hornpipe
31. London Town
32. James Plunkett
33. Maid in the Cherry Tree / Music in the Glen / Wheels of Strangford*/ Boys of Portaferry
34. The Pikemen
    Songs and tunes composed by Paul are denoted by *

Watch Paul & Carrig in Studio

Paul sings solo

Press Reviews

The Living Tradition 12/19
Paul’s name is familiar as a London-based Irish musician, but I’d not heard him play; I’m pleased I’ve rectified the omission. This double CD presents an overview of a life spent making music, and he’s performed at a pretty high level, often outside the folk world. But this CD shows his County Down roots and his love of traditional Irish music and song in general. For here we have a fine piper who also sings (and plays several other instruments as well).

However, what really makes this so interesting is his ability to ferret out very good, but little known, traditional tunes and to find fascinating variants in both songs and music. And his own musical compositions have an authenticity about them which means they just fit in. Particular favourites were Wheels Of Strangford and January Snow.

Over the decades, he’s spent some time in recording studios and has gathered together no less than 34 tracks here. The inevitable variation in recording quality is really not noticeable, and the piping is always first rate, with well-considered use of decoration and of accompaniments (from some excellent musicians). Nearly half the tracks are songs, and these too show a broad range of sources and some interesting variants. His version of Molly Bawn Lowry had verses I’d never heard, and had me jotting down a couple of extra verses for my own use, and there are plenty of other intriguing pieces. I have to say that one or two of the songs had slightly wandering airs, but I imagine this is how he picked them up.

This recording is, above all, enjoyable, a reminiscence put together by someone with an engaging and lively delivery and the ability to entertain. John Waltham

Irish Music Magazine Oct 19
County Down Piper Paul Brennan is something of a musical phenomenon, now living in London where he is a regular on the session scene there. Paul founded the Belfast Piping School in 1974 and he is also a well respected and sought after arranger and composer, his work has featured in films and in TV commercials.
On this double CD he has created a musical memoir pairing his older recordings with more recent trips to the studio. He not only plays uilleann pipes but also plays whistles and guitar, and he sings too. A long time member of the band Carrig there are tracks from that group on this album, which adds to not only the interesting mix of tunes and songs but also fills in the complete picture of Paul’s musical life over a number of decades.
CD 1 opens with Paul on pipes, guitar and whistle, singing a song called Alexander, which he had from Eddie Butcher. He is joined by Terry Thompson on a Ship’s Harmonium for the Shetland tune John Roy Lyle. CD 1 closes with Lament For Young Terrance McDonough played by Paul’s band Orchestrad, who specialise in 17th and 18th century harp music. Here he plays a low whistle with the harp holding the tune from Donal O’Sullivan’s major work on O’Carolan.
Disc 2 opens with the longest track on the compilation, running to 6 minutes; it was one of Delia Murphy’s favourite songs: Green Grows the Laurel; Paul is joined by Ben Gunnery on fiddle and Terry Thompson on piano. There’s a Bes Cronin song The Bonnie Blue Eyed Lassie, and one about the joys of counterspy pursuits Jock Stewart. Paul sings The Factory Girl unaccompanied, this puts his strong traditional voice to the fore, his diction is clear and he delivers the song with feeling. The album closes with a modern Celtic Rock take on The Pikemen with Paul on pipes, Chuck Sabor on drums and Scotty Mulvey on keyboards.
A fascinating retrospective of a lifetime in Irish music with the promise of more to come in the future.  Seán Laffey