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Hoi allemaal, ik ben er nog, maar even te druk. Komt goed.



With a rich mix of traditional and contemporary tracks and a collection of some of the finest folk musicians working in the Scottish traditional music scene today, Brian Ó hEadhra & Fionnag NicChoinnich’s (Fiona MacKenzie) new album is a fine celebration of the linked cultures that cross the Atlantic.

Guitarist Ó hEadhra‘s background belongs to Newfoundland in Canada, and subsequently Dublin in Ireland, whilst vocalist NicChoinnich’s hails from Scotland’s Isle of Lewis. Their new album, their third, is a celebration of Ó hEadhra & NicChoinnich’s relationship as well as that of the shared cultures of Scotland, Ireland, and Canada. The title, Càirdeas, reinforces this, with its translation meaning friendship, or kinship, in Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

The recording was inspired by the lockdown of Covid-19 and recorded during the winter of 2020/21. The album takes the theme of friendship as its key narrative, an important one considering the forced isolation of the recent lockdown. All tracks are accompanied by the duo’s musician friends, most of whom have had to work remotely over the last year. As the couple note: “We wanted to reach out to family and friends during these challenging times through recording songs which we grew up with or that mean something special to us. There is a mix of traditional and contemporary songs which are sung in English, Irish and Scottish Gaelic; many of which are well loved by fans of folk music.”

It’s quite a guest list too, with Innes White on guitar and mandolin, Ewen White on accordion, Anna-Wendy Stevenson and Rosie Munro on fiddle, and Anna Murray on pipes, amongst many others. It’s a family affair also, with the couple’s children Órla Ní Eadhra and Ró Ó hEadhra, providing lead, and backing, vocals on several tracks.
The twelve tracks on offer provide a heartening and snug listen, apt and very welcome for these difficult times. Càirdeas opens with the ‘Pat Murphy’s Meadow’, a Newfoundland song with a strong Irish flavour. It’s a beguilingly soft, inviting introduction, opening with Ó hEadhra’s guitar and led by the duo’s vocals. It’s a song about the past, the power of nostalgia, of a world now existing only in memory: ‘…the sunny, long ago’. A pertinent song for our mid-Covid world. It’s a touching, harmonious song though, there is no darkness here, just warmth and reassurance.

A captivating listen.

Tracks:  
01 - Pat Murphy's Meadow
02 - Copper Kettle
03 - Eadar Breith agus Bàs
04 - The Pink, The Lily, and the Blooming Rose
05 - Ho Rò Gun Togainn air Hùgan Fhathast
06 - An Tèid Thu Leam a Mhàiri
07 - Níl Sé Ina Lá
08 - An t-Uisge - The Water
09 - My Singing Bird
10 - Càit' na Dh'fhàg Thu 'n Fhichead Gini
11 - Bheir mo Shoraidh Thar Ghunnaigh
12 - Soraidh Leis a' Bhreacan Ùr (feat. Órla Ní Eadhra)


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