Fingal,
Fingal
(New Folk, 2008)


The logistics of Fingal are interesting.

James Keane, the trio's accordion player, is frum Dublin but had moved to Queens, New York, by the time of this recording. Fiddler Randal Bays, a native of Indiana, had relocated to Seattle, Washington. And Daithi Sproule, on guitar and vocals, went from Derry to the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

The commute to rehearsals must have been dreadful.

But, however it came together, the effort paid off. The music on their self-titled album is a prime example of excellent, largely traditional musicianship. The album contains 15 tracks, most of which are traditional Irish songs and tunes, mixed with a handful of original and cover tunes. Tracks include "The Old Wexford/Little Molly/The Connacht Heifer," "Luke Kelly's/Casey's Broom/Farewell to Connacht Reels," "Bean Dubh A Ghileanna," "The Bonny Light Horseman," "The Geese in the Bog" and "O Raghallaigh's Grave/Eileen Curran/The Dogs Among the Bushes."

Much of the music is recorded live, and it works -- this is a solid collection of music for anyone who enjoys the traditional sound.




Rambles.NET
music review by
Tom Knapp


16 January 2021


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