This is a version of a great Nickel Creek song we recorded on our recent album "Sailing back to You". Hope you enjoy it!

Doubting Thomas

Hey folks! This set of reels is from a live gig that the trio did back in November 2012 in the C'ville Coffee House in Charlottesville, VA. We had a great night! These reels are at a fair old clip- maybe something to do with several great cups of coffee each!!! Thanks to all the folks in C'ville coffee for the jolt!! Hope ye enjoy! ;-)

Frankie's Closing Set

At an open-air concert in front of the GPO in 1988, tens of thousands of people gathered on the streets to celebrate the Dublin Millennium. On the bill was the great Sean Maguire, Van Morrison and an 'orchestra' of 61 musicians, singers and dancers under the banner of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and the Guinness Seisiún. The legendary Dublin singer, Liam Weldon was to sing a rendition of "Where Oh Where is James Connolly" a song born from the words of the Cork Poet Patrick Galvin. Liam had asked me, still a kid, to accompany him on the accordion. When he started to sing, an amazing silence fell over the crowd who stood there at dusk in the rain. It was a moment..... 
A week or two before, I'd been asked to go to the Comhaltas Studios in Monkstown, Co. Dublin to play on a studio recording of the same song with Liam. I remember Seamus Mac Mathuna becoming intensely concerned for Liam as he had just days before been released from hospital recovering from a triple heart by-pass operation. Liam was really going for it each time he sang the song, being so obviously unable to contain the passion and emotion that this song stirred within him. After a take, Mac Mathúna would say "That's great Liam! Sit down there and rest yourself; we don't want you ending up back in the feckin' hospital" And Liam would say: "Give me one more go at it in a minute - I know i can sing it better." And the hairs would stand up on end even more the next pass.
For some reason, (bus strike?) I wasn't able to get home to Kilkenny that afternoon on the usual bus/trains so Liam had offered to bring me on home  with him until such time as I could be lifted later that night. I got to spend the day with him, walking around the roads of Ballyfermot, down and around the local community centre and back to his home and family for the dinner. He told me of the importance of community. And community centres. "With so many people out of work," he said, "places like this give people somwhere to go, to meet and talk and maintain some sense of dignity." Everywhere we went that day, everyone knew him. He was like the Mayor.
And so, when he walked out in front of all those people a couple of weeks later in front of the GPO, they knew him there too..........

Thanks to the folks in the Comhaltas Archive who helped me find this. Copyright Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

Liam Weldon (15 October 1933- 28 November 1995) Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Image: "Weldon's Connolly" by Mick McAuley Copyright 2016

Where Oh! Where Is James Connolly?

A lively set of traditional reels from the new solo album "Highs and Bellows" by Kilkenny Accordionist and singer, Mick McAuley

Highs and Bellows

Jackson Scot's reels

07 Jackson Scot's Reels

This is the opening track on the upcoming release by Mick McAuley, Winifred Horan & Colm O Caoimh. The album, which is a follow-up to Mick & Win's first duet release titled "Serenade" (2006), is a collection of original and traditional songs and tunes and features a  beautiful cover of Low Anthem's "Charlie Darwin".

01 Les Amantes Infideles

This is a track recorded and released by Solas on their album "For Love and Laughter" a few years back- hadn't heard it in a while, hope ye enjoy!!

Solas- there is a time

This is the title (and closing) track from Mick McAuley, Winifred Horan & Colm O caoimh's latest album "Sailing Back to You". To purchase the song, album or to download, please visit www.mcauleyhoranocaoimh.com or visit us on FB at  McAuley/Horan/Ocaoimh. Hope ye like it! ;-)

Sailing Back To You

This is a Nick Drake song we recorded with Solas a few years back. The track appears on the album "Edge of Silence" produced by S. Egan and Neil Dorfsman (produced Sting, Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler etc.) Always been a big Nick Drake fan and it was great to get to do this with such a talented group of people!

Clothes of Sand-(by N.Drake)

Here's a version of the great Bob Dylan song "To make you feel my love" which myself and Winifred Horan recorded on our 'Serenade' album in 2006. This got quite a few hits on you tube although someone else uploaded it! 

mickmcauleymusic

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