Reviewed by Sammy Horner

When I got my mitts on this CD I must admit to being mildly excited and with arms rigid by my side I jigged over to my player, to allow my lazer to give me an interpretation of the disc I held in my hand, but alas, my hopes that it would bring back memories of green hills, Ulster frys, and people saying, "Top o' da marnin!" were all but dashed! This is a collection of old hymns, played on traditional instruments (and they're well played, "to be sure"). The problem is that, okay, I'll say it... many of the songs sound more like English medieval music, which is still quite pleasant, but to call it Irish trad would be almost unforgivable to die hard Irish folkies. The album almost hits the mark with one or two tracks (notably "The Londonderry Aire" and "Irish Hymn Medley"), but it just goes to show that instrumentation simply isn't enough. Still, some nice music here, just don't give it to anyone with a beard and woolly jumper, as a St Patrick's Day gift!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.