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Hi Celtic music lovers
Anything Irish, you said?
Try to dig at Shanachie music. I don't know if they carried the Clancy Brothers, or their music though , but that's the place to look for something Irish. That and Green Linnet.
As Charlie mentions, you can't escape the Chieftains. Their 4 early albums were the best, most traditional. They tend to water it down a bit, later on. If you want good irish singing though, try their album with Van Morrison, done just a little before Derek Bell died.
Brendan Nolan is a singer who used to do the pub circuit in Montreal Can. He made a few album, difficult to find maybe, but maybe not with the web. He's got a great voice and plays well too. He also has that type of "warm up the house" songs as the Clancy's.
But my favorite groups are still the Bothy Band, and the Boys of the Lough, maybe De Danaan too. These three groups mingled traditional dance music and songs
Some albums of Kevin Burke where Michael O'Dohmnail sings (some in gaelic, some in english) and plays a tasty guitar too are for the more contemplative.
Anybody heard Duck Baker fingerpicking irish fiddle tunes? Not only chords, guys and girls, but pure irish tunes, some Carolan too (old irish troubadour).
And for nice guitar support, the best I heard so far was Paul Brady on Tommy Peoples' High part of the road. Not only strumming chords there, I can assure you. It is true that you can support a solo player with that approach, but usually better players require a better backup. Just listen to Frankie Gavin and Alec Finn of De Danann on their solo album and you will hear a fiddle and a bouzouki constantly talking to each other, even if the fiddle is the tune and bouzouki the accomp.
I can't keep my mouth shut if I hear the magic word Irish. Must have a leprechaun in my ancestors.
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