Mo Chairdin

With Maeve Donnelly, Manus McGuire, Carl Hession & Christy Dunne.

1992 on Gael-Linn

I was never a big fan of Paul Brock’s style of playing but having listened to this album, it’s grown on me a little bit. There is a nice selection of tunes and some versions I’ve never heard before. Supporting artists are good too.

One year later and a whole lot wiser, I thoroughly recommend this album to fan’s of the old melodeon style of accordion playing. Paul Brock instills life into the tunes he plays, which are top class. He has a great knowledge of the old recorded musicians of the 20s and 30s and recreates this style on this album. I believe he has a high regard for tunes like barndances and waltzes which would back this up. It’s hard to give a general review on this album because his style is very much rooted in the old melodeon tradition and those musicians recorded nearly a century ago but I personally think its a fantastic album and sheds a new light on an accordion tradition that isn’t seen too much these days.

I notice that track eleven is missing a link to the tune. It is available at https://thesession.org/tunes/1758

The version at that link is the waltz derived from the air, Cailín Deas Crúite Na mBó, which Brock plays beautifully on the album.

I have added a transcription of the air, as played by Brock, in the comments section of that tune.