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Celtic Fringe: Mixing with stars
By JAMES McKEEFRY
RECENTLY we traveled with 54 guests via Birmingham and Dublin airports to Enfield in Co. Meath — from where we spent days exploring the cultural, historical and physical aspects of the midlands of Ireland before donning our glad rags each evening for four individual sessions of music.
On Monday night we had country and Irish with Glen Flynn and Mark Kelly, Tuesday was Irish folk with Pauric Brown, Wednesday saw us in the Tullamore Heritage for a traditional night and Thursday we ended our round of musical events with Shawn Cuddy and his band in the Ambassador Hotel in Dublin.
In addition to all of this our guests were thrilled by a surprise visit and performance from T. R. Dallas, tea and scones with Longford giant Mick Flavin and a chance meeting in the hotel lounge at 3am with Sligo superstar Patrick Feeney as he returned from his gig in Dublin.
It was during our meeting with Mick Flavin that his manager and Monaghan man John McCabe introduced me to the sound of E’van O’Donnell and presented me with not only E’van’s latest single and album, but also one of the most attractive and comprehensive press publicity packs I have received in quite some time.
Not content with being so generous on our first meeting John returned next morning to our hotel with enough Mick Flavin and E’van O’Donnell albums and merchandise to satisfy each member of our party. Many thanks John!
E’van O’Donnell
Out of the Shadow
Sharpe
+353 4471504
Originally from Lifford in Co. Donegal, E’van began his singing career at the tender age of 12 in his local church choir.
In 1991 in his late teens E’van moved to Jersey in the Channel Islands to work as a Garth Brooks impersonator. Now back home, E’van has a top quality five-piece band and is being played constantly on the radio.
Out Of The Shadow has 12 tracks and is excellently produced. On first listening several of our guests on the coach felt they heard a touch of Daniel or Frank McCaffrey in E’van’s voice and arrangements — but who would complain about that?
The album kicks off with a George Jones and Roger Miller hit Tall Tall Trees, which is one of five quick-steps — the others being Charlie Landsborough’s Just Passing Through, which reminds us to do unto others as we would like done unto ourselves, Blaze of Glory, Bonaparte’s Retreat and John Farry’s The Morning After The Night Before.
John Farry is also represented by his composition Forever My Darling. A personal favourite of mine is Linda On My Mind and E’van’s version of Crystal Chandeliers is top-class.
Patches is a touching ballad about a young man who falls in love with a lady of ill-repute and is discouraged by his parents, only to discover his love has drowned herself and so follows her into the river. It takes a really talented singer to deliver such a message!
Old-time waltzes I’ll Waltz You Home and Tipperary Town along with Bellamy Brothers-style Neon Moon complete the title listings.
It was interesting to play this album for the first time on our coach and hear the response from our guests. As Richard, a farmer from Leicestershire commented: “I’ve heard worse coming from Ireland.”
Which translated means: “I’d listen to that young man again, I like him.”
It was a sentiment echoed by the 54 passengers and Joe Fahey, our driver from Enfield.
Mary Duff
Just a Country Girl
Rosette Records
+353 1 8301707
Coincidentally, our second featured artist this week is a Co. Meath girl herself — Mary Duff. Mary and her husband Paul have their own pub/club called Newtown Country Club which features Ireland’s top bands in Drumcondrath.
Mary was recently a guest on the Celtic Fringe and the immediate reaction from my listeners was one of delight at her bubbly personality and mischievous sense of humour.
Mary began singing with her father in his band and, to this day, daddy still takes his button accordion along to his daughter’s gigs and can usually be persuaded to step on stage.
On the album there is a track entitled To Daddy — but I’m not sure if it is meant to be a tribute to her father as it highlights the plight of a mother neglected by her husband as the children.
The result is mum’s presence eventually being replaced by a note from her bidding daddy farewell as she moves forth in search of a new love now that the children are grown up.
Mary heard her first songs and indeed learnt them at her father’s knee — and quickly established herself as a top recording and performing artist with a string of popular albums and a reputation for putting on a first-class live show with her own band.
All 14 tracks are firm country standards ranging from John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads to Rita McNeil’s Working Man with Walking After Midnight, 57 Chevrolet, Talking In Your Sleep, Rose Garden, Stand By Your Man, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Making Plans, Where The Boys Are, San Antonio Rose, Making Believe and Jealous Heart providing a
favorite track for all country music lovers.
Two super albums perhaps destined for a loved one’s Christmas stocking?
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