Product Description

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Track Listing

1. Jackie Coleman's, Pigtown
2. Cape Breton Jigs, Mcgurk's
3. Over the Moor to Maggie, Fred Finn's, the Hunter's House
4. Baile Mh�irne
5. Rolling in the Ryegrass [The Killavil Fancy]
6. Rocking the Cradle/The Twin
7. Kilmovee Jig/The Maid at the Well/The Old Geese on the Bog
8. Bonny Wood Green
9. Miss Monaghan/Maggie on the Shore
10. Dr. Gilbert, Queen of the May
11. Tommy Coen's/The Otter's Holt/Mcfaddens Handsome Daughter
12. Garrett Barry's/Miss Mcleod
13. Kilkelly
14. Sgar�unt Na Gcompanagh
15. Set of Single Jigs Learned from Kevins Father/John's Grandfather
16. Larry Redigan's/The High Reel
17. Boys of Ballinahinch/The Castle/Miko Russell's
18. Scotsman over the Border/The Tenpenny Bit
19. Millionaire
20. Westport Set-Dancers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #83367 in Music
• Released on: 1993-01-29
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Molloy, the Chieftains' flutist, owns a pub on Bridge Street in Westport in the County Mayo, where musicians from all over Ireland gather for a pint, a slice of pizza, and the kind of impromptu sessions where traditional Irish music thrives best. Last year Molloy allowed sound engineers to set up in the upstairs room and hang microphones above the musicians' favorite tables in the pub. On the resulting tapes, the conversation and clinking glasses soak into the music, as they should. Except for Molloy and Patrick Street's Arty McGlynn, the musicians aren't famous, but they are quite skillful and contribute some mighty lively music--which, as the liner notes point out, is not the same as fast music. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

This is the way to hear Irish traditional music
Live and alive, this is an excellently done CD with superb sound/recording quality, catching the musicians in their joy at what they love to do and do well. Fiddler Cora Smyth has gone on since this recording to become one of the two main fiddlers in the production Lord of the Dance. Matt is excellent, as always, on his flute, with his friends backing him. Some of his friends have the spotlight. The rendition of "Kilkelly" is not to be missed. It is emotionally well-done and moving. You can hear the pub conversation as a back-drop, with the clinking of glasses and the warmth of laughter. You hear the musicians and patrons enjoying eachother's company. It is LIVE, it is Ireland, it is what the Irish traditional session is all about, and I wish more recordings like this one were made available. It's the next best thing to actually being there! If you love Irish traditional music, and Matt Molloy's style, this CD will NOT disappoint you. It is worth buying. It lives in my CD player.

Almost as good as being there
If you can't make it to Westport, County Mayo, to spend an evening at Matt Molloy's pub, this is the next best thing. A thoroughly high-caliber group of musicians contributed to this album in a variety of styles, from traditional unaccompanied "sean-nos" singing to "everyone on board" instrumentals. The recordings are live and unedited (amazingly enough, given the quality of the performances), and the pub atmosphere is imparted by background conversations, clinking bottles, and even a broken glass. Part of the flavor of traditional Irish music is the interaction between the musicians, the tunes, and the audience, and this recording conveys that better than anything else I've ever heard. I could have done without the Westport step-dancers thumping their way through the final track, but Iarla o Lionard's solo is a knockout. Almost as much fun as being there -- and your clothes don't reek of the smoke afterwards.

pure drop
This is a wonderful collection of traditional tunes and songs recorded live in Matt Molloy's pub. I know that some find the background noise and occasional stomping distracting, but I love the authenticity of it and it takes nothing away from the music in my opinion. There are a lot of standard session tunes, played with plenty of feeling. I've never heard a more inspiring version of Miss Monaghan or Queen of the May than on this recording. There are also some more obscure but excellent tunes such as the "set of jigs learned from Kevin's father." I highly recommend this CD to anyone who appreciates genuine traditional Irish music...you will not be disappointed.