The Rhiannon Years

My dad borrowed This from Gateshead library ten years ago, and I just found it again the other day. A blast from the past. This cd is good, clean fun from a bunch of lads who love their music and don’t take themselves too seriously.

This has to be the most schizophrenic album in iris h trad. Far more out-there than anything I can think of, despite the fact a lot of the playing is straight up iris h trad. Split pretty evenly between tunes and songs, the tune sets including the standout Barnsley Abacus set are trad usually with a twist, such as the jazz sax bridge between banish misfortune and the maids of mount cisco. Which shouldn’t work but if course, it does and it is brilliant.

Songs are downright, unapologetic ally wierd, especially Kama-lust. That intro is the daftest thing I ever heard.
The musicians are top-notch, steafan hannigan on pipes, flute and whistle and James o’grady on fiddle are the names i remember. Don’t know who the singer is, if I’m honest, her style doesn’t really fit trad.

Steafan hannigan is the piper from Shaun davey’s Brendan Voyage. The only classical suite composed for uilleann pipes. He’s also played with depeche mode and bjork, of all people.

Liam O‘Flynn was the piper on ’The Brendan Voyage‘. The piper on Sin É’s albums was usually James O’Grady.

Ah, you’re right about brenda n voyage, was originally Liam o’flynn, and he recorded it, but steafa n has played it.
Both him and James play pipes, I assumed that as there’s fiddle on most tracks that it was jame s on fiddle and steafa n on pipes, I might well be wrong, I don’t have sleeve notes, and it’s been a while since I last heard them. O’grady plays fiddle, according to the internet lol.

Looks like this is a compilation of 2 sin’e albums, I’d appreciate of someone can fill in the blanks re tune names. It’s Theresa heanue on fiddle, you’re right gonzo.

The nine first tracks are identical to those on their debut album ( https://thesession.org/recordings/2881 ). As it happens, I transcribed them all many years ago. Who knows where I have that file…

Looks like the rest are the second album, with one extra set (too clever by half). Have edited accordingly. Thanks jeff.