The Beautiful Goldfinch is a pretty waltz composed by flute maker Marcus Hernon. We follow it with two lively jigs, Strop the Razor and Airidh nam Badan (The Field of Thickets).
Whistle: Naomi Harvey
Flute: Rachel Harris
Fiddle: Lucy MacRae
Bouzouki: Will Lamb  
Banjo: Mharhi Baird

The Beautiful Goldfinch

Tunes: Hò gun d’mharbh mi (trad.) / Maids of Islay (trad.)/ The Flooded Road to Glenties (Jimmy McHugh)/ Coinneach aig an Stiùir (Dr Angus MacDonald)

This set begins with a punchy little song in which the singer boasts of killing a bull with his fist. The strathspey is also known as ‘Maids of Islay’, which we follow the song with. The first reel was written by fiddle-player Jimmy McHugh of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, who lived for most of his life in Glasgow. ‘Coinneach aig an Stiùir’, or ‘Kenneth at the Helm’, is a great 4-part reel by piper Dr Angus MacDonald, which Rachel learnt from his brother Iain.  

Vocals & Whistle: Naomi Harvey
Flute: Rachel Harris
Fiddle: Lucy MacRae
Bouzouki: Will Lamb

Pull No Punches

The first of these two songs is a waulking song in which a maid laments the fact that her love is far away at sea. If he were with her, she would lie close beside him yet “arise without blemish”.  The second is a clapping (and in our version, foot-tapping) song and depicts a hapless man who meets a beauty on the moors, asks her for a kiss and is given an almighty put-down.

Vocals: Naomi Harvey
Refrains: Lucy MacRae, Rachel Harris, Will Lamb
Bouzouki: Will Lamb

Lurach