Not long ago, watching a documentary made for Irish television, I was fascinated and amused to hear Liam Clancy recall how many Irish Americans responded on first hearing the traditional music offered up by the (Irish-born but New York City-based) Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem: they didn't know what to make of it. Clancy said their idea of an "Irish" song was something like "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" and other schmaltzy faux-Irish pop songs of another era. Actual Irish music confounded them. That's not say, of course, that no such music existed in America, only that it had not connected with the bulk of a fully assimilated middle class.

Decades later, it's safe to say that most Irish Americans now have a more informed understanding of what Irish music is. The Clancys had a lot to do with that, as did the bands of the "Celtic music" fad of the 1970s and '80s. Terence and Jesse Winch, who are brothers, have been playing Irish folk music in the District of Columbia and environs for decades, keeping the true sound alive while they have encouraged others to do the same. Over time they founded two bands (neither extant these days): Fast Flying Vestibule and (the original) Celtic Thunder. Terence plays button accordion, Jesse bodhran.

On This Day Too Michael Winch, Terence's son, joins them on fiddle. Accompanied by more than a dozen players and singers, all of notable ability, from the local scene, they fashion an hour's worth of rooted songs and instrumentals. Overwhelmingly, even the purely traditional numbers are not the standard ones, evidence of the Winches' deep immersion in the style. Seven of the 15 cuts are songs, usually set to older melodies attached to modern lyrics, composed as often as not by Terence, who is a respected poet. "Childhood Ground" and the title song represent contemporary Irish-folk writing at its most potent. "This Day Too," which addresses the way we experience the relentless passage of time, won't soon leave your memory, especially if you're of the age when sunset is closer to you than sunrise.

"Nelly, My Love, & Me" splits the difference between "real" and "fake" Irish song. It's set to a haunting air, apparently of considerable age, with sentimental lyrics, later added, of the sort one associates with 19th-century parlor music. Still, as is so often the case, a strong melody carries weaker words. "Lannisters' Ball (Game of Thrones Song)," with lyrics by Terence and melody by another age, is best appreciated by viewers of that HBO series. I, alas, am not among them, so the jokes sail into the ether above the point atop my head. "The Homes of Donegal," which satisfyingly concludes the album, recycles the ubiquitous "Tramps & Hawkers" tune.

Overall, This Day Too is a sturdy piece of work, put together by a crew of folks who have devoted themselves to the worthy cause of a uniquely expressive tradition.