Maire O'Keeffe, John Faulkner, Jackie Daly, Donal O'Connor: Re-Joyce - Tunes and Songs from the Joyce Collection

MAIRE O'KEEFFE, JOHN FAULKNER, JACKIE DALY, DONAL O'CONNOR: RE-JOYCE - TUNES AND SONGS FROM THE JOYCE COLLECTION

Maire O'Keeffe: fiddle

Jackie Daly: accordion

Donal O'Connor: fiddle

John Faulkner: fiddle, guitar, bouzouki, vocals

While not nearly as well known as Francis O'Neill, Patrick Weston Joyce, who lived in the Co. Limerick Gaeltacht, was one of the major collectors of Irish traditional music in 19th-century Ireland. His main publication, "Old Irish Folk Music and Songs" (1909), is the source of the delightful music performed on this recording. With Jackie Daly and Maire O'Keeffe playing lead, joined at times by Donal O'Connor, it will hardly come as a surprise that the instrumental portion of the recording is first-class. A great part of its interest is also due to the material chosen, often local variants of tunes found in the rest of Ireland, all with their distinctive twists. Even more impressive perhaps is the singing of John Faulkner, who also provides the accompaniments. On songs like "Captain Thompson" or "Willie Taylor," his rich voice and his phrasing make him sound like he would not have been out of place as a member of Planxty.

Rating: *** 1/2

Price: $23.99