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Whistle Stop

By Brian Hughes


  1. The Ships Are Sailing
    Ambrose Moloney’s
    The New Mown Meadows
  2. The Trip To Athlone
    Swans Among The Rushes
    Winnie Haye’s
    The Fleadh In Kilkenny
  3. The Fly By Night
    The Tailor’s Twist
  4. Mc Govern’s Favourite
    Sherlock’s
    Dwyer’s
  5. Turas Go Tír na nÓg
  6. Haley’s
    Eddie Kelly’s
    The Scotchman Over The Border
  7. Mick Mahony’s
    Barrack Hill
    O’Connor’s
    John Kelly’s
  8. Happy Days Of Youth
    The London Lasses
    Sean Smyth’s
  9. The Lifting Dew
    The Hidden Smile
    The Galloping Ass
  10. The Lea Rig
  11. Callaghan’s
    Bill The Weaver’s
    The Rambling Sailor
  12. Cucanandy
    The Pride Of Kildare
    The Cat’s Meow
  13. The Waltz Of The Little Girls
  14. The Concert
    The Pride Of Rockchapel
    Ciaran Tourish

Eight comments

Your Attention, pelease !!!

If you’re going to buy a Gael-Linn album this year, though, I suggest you go for Brian Hughes. “Whistle Stop” is a lovely piece of work from a player whose technique I envy. You probably haven’t heard of Brian Hughes before, but you’ll hear plenty of him on this sparsely accompanied and firmly traditional CD. Brian starts with a scintillating set of reels (scintillating is like sparkling but faster), and continues with a lovely set of lesser-known jigs. There follows a set of nicely paced hornpipes, and then things start to get interesting!
Brian is joined by some of Ireland’s finest session musicians, many of whom met him for the first time in the studio. Apparently, several tracks were the result of spontaneous experimentation: there’s certainly plenty of spontaneity in the result, and the whistle is complemented by some very deft backing.

definetely one of my favorite albums. you have to hear it to experience how good it is. really.

I bought this one from a used CD shop at the Jersey beach. I had definitely never heard of Brian Hughes before, but recognized a few of the other names mentioned. I was also very willing to trust the Gael-Linn label and assumed they wouldn’t attach their name to some generic guy out to make a few bucks. Glad I trusted them. I’m almost hesitant to call this album traditional, but it definitely is. For a whistle, the sound is very full. Just a nice recording to listen to.

Little mistake in “Whistle Stop” track details

There is a third tune on track 12; its title is “The Humours of Clough”.
(nobody’s perfect !)

“Whistle Stop” is one of the very best whistle albums I know.

Indeed…

:D

The third tune on track 12 is unmistakenly Joannie Madden’s Cat’s Meow.

There seems to have been some confusion when the titles of this recording have been added.
Amazon lists the following tunes for tracks 11 and 12:

11. Callaghan’s-The Pride Of Kildare-The Humours Of Clough
12. Cucanandy-The Pride Of Kildare-The Humours Of Clough

Apart from these two tracks, this title shows up in Google only for one additional recording by Kells, a group from Argentina.

The correction…

Track 11 is listed correctly in the DB: three polkas starting off with Callaghan’s.
Track 12 is Cucanandy - The Pride Of Kildare - The Humours Of Clough [sic; but really The Cat’s Meow, https://thesession.org/tunes/342]

Re: Whistle Stop

Sublime whistle playing. Every track on this album exudes class. One of my favourites.