At First Light • Idir A debut release from the newly formed At First Light, Idir is a perfectly-paced, delightful addition to any Irish library. What sets Celtic music apart from most other genres is that any handful of one’s favorite artists are just a moment away from collaborating on new projects. Formerly of Lunasa, John McSherry and Michael McGoldrick have long been in … [Read more...] about Music Reviews
Tara Dougherty
The New Irish Songwriter: James Vincent McMorrow
A spring tour in Australia on the immediate horizon, thoughts brewing of a sophomore album and the world at his feet, James Vincent McMorrow has stormed onto the scene from virtual nothingness in the last year. It was January of last year that the Dublin native’s debut album, Early In the Morning, found its way to my desk for review, and I was completely stunned. In many ways, … [Read more...] about The New Irish Songwriter: James Vincent McMorrow
Music Reviews
A look at recently released music of Irish and Irish-American interest. Altan • The Poison Glen In their newest album, The Poison Glen, Altan reverts to the sound that their fans initially fell in love with. Transforming from a virtually unknown duo in the mid-eighties to the six-piece band they are now, Altan is a band that has never really stopped growing or developing. It … [Read more...] about Music Reviews
Martin Hayes: Rhythm and Strings
Whether playing solo or with the newly formed The Gloaming, Martin Hayes, the marvelously gifted fiddler, finds his mesmeric rhythm in the Irish tunes he learned from his father – the leader of the famed Tulla Ceili band – and other master musicians in east County Clare. The first time I heard Martin Hayes it felt like an earthquake. Not ten seconds into his first tune, the … [Read more...] about Martin Hayes: Rhythm and Strings
Chuck Schumer’s Irish Bill
New York Senator Charles Schumer has gained a great deal of support from the Irish in America since mid-December, when he introduced an Irish visa bill to the Senate. The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy and Dick Durbin of Vermont and Illinois, respectively, would permit 10,000 Irish citizens to live and work in the United States per year on a newly proposed E-3 … [Read more...] about Chuck Schumer’s Irish Bill