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A drop of Baileys

This debut release of twenty traditional favourites is a delightful revisit of some classic Irish tracks… By Shelley Marsden - 29/07/09

The Baileys are Michael Banahan (vocals), a founding member of Rig the Jig and Anthony McDermott (guitar), who joined the band two years later. Rig the Jig released four critically-acclaimed records, have appeared across Europe and the US, and are currently working on album no. five.

Two friends, and troubadours in the time-honoured folk tradition, as soon as they got a hold of a dodgy-looking brown van, Michael and Anthony set off across Ireland to pass on the culture and history of their homeland, through a set of beautiful traditional ballads. There are few pubs, town halls or hamlets that can say they haven’t played host to these two.

On A Song For Ireland, the duo have committed these tracks to record. With a proliferation of bands that fuse traditional with world music, jazz and other genres – some with stunning results, The Baileys represent the need, simultaneously, for a truly organic, pure Irish sound.

Given a modern touch by Hall of Famer Robyn Robins (who has produced for Van Morrison, Damien Rice and U2 to name but a few), the debut album nonetheless has a timeless quality, including well-loved tunes such as “Fiddler’s Green”, “The Wild Rover”, “The Mountains of Mourne”, one of Ireland’s greatest ever sports anthems, “The Fields of Athenry” and the light-hearted “Colcannon.”

Don’t go looking for cutting edge music on A Song For Ireland, as you’ll be barking up the wrong tree. But nor should you make the mistake of looking at the track-list and thinking, ‘Here we go again…’ as it’s choc full of songs that have been done to death.

Why? Because you’d be missing a trick. Traditional standards, when done with heart and imagination, can be reborn, and The Baileys, with their careful

arrangements and love for wandering through the back pages of Irish traditional music, have done just that. Songs are given a fresh lick of paint – and classic versions of tracks you’ve always held dear may even end up having to take second place to a few of these…

• If you’d like a copy of this album, visit www.copperplatemailorder.com, or call: 0207 585 0357.