It seems that special things happen every March as the wave of the St. Patrick Day season crashes over us. One of them is that this year’s TG4’s program “Geantraí – Lá Fhéile Padraig” will premiere “Crús an Cheoil, a celebration of Irish traditional music on the high seas.” Given the show’s title, this could only mean that it was filmed on location aboard Joanie Madden’s immensely popular Folk ’N’ Irish Cruise – the February 2026 excursion, to be exact. It’s your opportunity to experience (or relive, even!) the sheer craic that took place.
Hosted by Dervish’s Cathy Jordan, “Crús an Cheoil” features a diverse assortment of singers and musicians from Ireland and the United States performing not only in concerts and sessions on the ship, but in candid, impromptu moments around the Caribbean itself. Featured artists include Dervish, Cherish the Ladies, Cillian Vallely, Pat Doocey, David Doocey, Donal Murphy, Matt Mancuso, Colin Farrell, David Curley, Jim Higgins, Mick Connelly, Rory Makem, Máirtín de Cógáin and Dylan Foley. A stellar lineup if there ever was one!
Don’t miss the show, it will be terrific! “Crús an Cheoil” premiers over the air in Ireland at 9:30pm on the 17th, but you can watch online the U.S. by directing your browser over to http://www.tg4.ie. Another is the announcement that the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which takes place this year in Belfast, Aug. 2-9, will again take place in Belfast in 2027! This is exciting news, as Belfast is a great town for music! For more information about this year’s Fleadh, head on over to https://fleadhcheoil.ie/. (And keep your eyes on this space, as I will be doing a feature on the upcoming Belfast Fleadh in the coming weeks!)
And since it’s that time of the year, people often ask me for traditional music recommendations, so in that spirit I’m going to use today to direct readers toward five fiddle-forward albums from the past year, as well as a book that will serve as accompaniment. These are things folks will want to check out this season and each one is something that can be recommend to others.
I’ll start with “Into the Loam” by Cormac Begley and Liam O’Connor. Begley (concertina) and O’Connor’s (fiddle) music are two musicians who are hard wired into traditional music’s core. From Dublin, O’Conner not only learned from the likes of Séamus Glackin and Sean Keane (of Chieftains fame), but also from his father Mick, a flute player who has been a mainstay of traditional music since the 1950s. Begley is from the wilds of West Kerry. Raised in a famous musical family, everything he does builds on the tradition in innovative ways. Both are high level players and “Into the Loam,” which is fluid and imaginative, and always guided by tradition, is a brilliant show of their talents. Superb stuff.
Tara Breen’s album “Sooner or Later” is another excellent album to listen to (https://www.tarabreen.com/). Perhaps known best for her work with concertina player Padraig Rynne in groups like NOTIFY and the trio Breen | Rynne | Murray, her music is deeply rooted in her County Clare home and it’s played in a way that’s as individual as it is sophisticated. It’s definitely one to hear.
Brian Conway’s “Wallace Avenue” is another a sure bet (https://www.brianconway.com/). A New York-based fiddle player raised playing the music of Sligo, “Wallace Avenue” has Conway reflecting on his experience growing up in Irish New York in the 1960s and 70s. His playing is brilliant here. You can hear flashes of this actual moment on “Vol. 1: Catchin’ the Tune” by The Irish Tradition (https://folkways.si.edu/the-irish-tradition/vol-1-catchin-the-tune). Originally released in 1976 and receiving a Smithsonian Folkways reissued this year, the group featured fiddler Brendan Mulvihill, button accordion player Billy McComiskey, and singer/guitarist Andy O’Brien. Mulvihill, who was raised in the Bronx (his father Martin was one of Conway’s early teachers) and McComiskey, who was originally from from Brooklyn (and who much later played with Conway, Joanie Madden, and Brendan Dolan in the band The Pride of New York), drove the music here in a way that was incisive, impactful, and filled with youthful exuberance.
For folks looking for more relaxed “pure drop” energy, John and Jacinta McEvoy’s “The Boyne Mist” is a top recommendation (https://johnandjacintamcevoy.bandcamp.com). Played on fiddle and concertina, the music is elegant and relaxed and the album featuring several of John’s newly-composed tunes that show the strength of tradition as it’s played in Co. Meath today. Just a wonderful album and one that is easy to savor.
Finally, if you’re looking for a great book for your home or office, you’ll definitely want “Beating Time” by Fintan Vallely. In this ornately illustrated and meticulously researched book, Vallely focus is the bodhrán – one of the most maligned instruments in traditional music. But instead of going along with naysayer opinion, the author gives us the definitive statement on the instrument, its history and its practice in a way that changes the way it should be seen. Seasoned professionals and rote beginner alike will have something to take away from this book. If you’ve ever come home from a trip to Ireland with a bodhrán in tow, this is the book you’ll want to have to go with it. Published by Cork University Press, “Beating Time” is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other domestic online booksellers.
These are just a few ideas – there are plenty of other excellent albums and books out there and I try to cover them all here, so stay tuned for more. There’s always something new to hear. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
