I have been listening to Altan for a vast majority of my young life, and I’ve seen Altan evolve through the years. Their new album called “Donegal” reaches back into the past, emphasizes the present, and provides an excellent foundation for the future of the band. The band even reaches into their own past, re-recording a tune that they had previously recorded on their second album, The Red Crow. The tune is called The Yellow Tinker, and is played slower than in the original recording, encompassing every member of the band’s skills.

The band’s album’s tunes are mostly written in Irish Gaeilge (the native language of Ireland). This reflects the origins of the Band, emphasizing that the album is heavily North Donegal influenced (which explains the lack of highlands, barndances, and mazurkas).

The next track called Liostail me le Sairsint featuring Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh’s vocals and shows off her versatility beautifully.

The third track is a beautiful reel set which features some great traditional northern tunes at a great pace, including a Tommy People’s tune. This track is definitely in tune with the tradition of Donegal especially since a documentary about the late Tommy Peoples came out earlier this year.

The fourth track of the album features a traditional poem with the tune written by Zoe Conway. This track stands out because Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Clare Friel share vocals. This is definitely a great way to cement Clare’s status as a band member.

The fifth track features the only set of jigs on this album, both of which were composed by Mairead. They flow beautifully into each other and encompass much of the band’s unique personal styles.

The sixth track has four tunes brought to the album by Dr. Martin Tourish (the box accordion player of the Band) that progressively get faster and higher resulting in a strong finish.

The seventh track is an English track sung by Mairead and it further shows off her vocal diversity.

The eighth track is one of the best tracks on the album because it truly shows off the whole band. The first tune of the track, An Gasur Dana, features the fretted instruments (guitar and bouzouki via Daithi Sproule, Mark Kelly, and Ciaran Curran) and gracefully shows off their finger picking techniques. The set jumps into a tune called An Ghirseach Dholba, where Mairead, Clare, and Martin (fiddles and box accordion respectively) take over the set, and then the final tune of the set features each member of the band coming together as one unit.

The ninth track features a haunting song sung by Mairead continuing to show off her vocal range, and the band effectively focuses on that eerie tone.

The final track in this album defines what Donegal music is truly about. The tunes in the set reflect the diversity of northern Donegal music. The first tune in the set is called The Letterkenny Blacksmith, which is commonly played in northern county Donegal, representing an underrepresented part of the tradition. John Doherty’s Favourite, is the second tune in the set and represents the southern Donegal tradition, a source for many of Altan’s tunes. The final tune in the set is called Scread Na Bealtaine, composed by Mairead Ni Mhaonigh and her daughter, Nia Ni Bhiern, during the pandemic. This set is the perfect way to tie up the album.

This album may only have ten tracks but it certainly doesn’t disappoint. It is a jam packed album that shows the Band’s connections to the past while bringing in a lot of newly written material. It shows how deeply they care about their roots, and how they bring the tradition into the future.

Altan’s website

Purchase options:
Bandcamp
Compass Records

 

Album setlist:

1. The Yellow Tinker (Slow Reel) 03:03
2. Liostáil mé le Sáirsint (Song) 03:11
3. The Donegal Selection: An Bóthar Mór/Tommy Peoples’ Reel/Is Cuma Liom (Reels) 03:24
4. Faoiseamh a Gheobhadsa (Song) 05:18
5. Port Árainn Mhór/Port Kitty Rua Mooney (Jigs) 03:30
6. The House of Baoithín Selection: Miss Stewart’s/Bonnie Annie/Hand Me Down The Tea Things/House of Baoithín (Reels) 03:54
7. The Barley And The Rye (Song) 03:18
8. An Gasúr Dána/An Ghirseach Dholba/Ríl na mBreac Beadaí (Reels) 04:08
9. Gabhaim Molta Bríde (Song) 04:29
10. The Letterkenny Blacksmith/John Doherty’s Favourite/Scread na Bealtaine (Reels) 04:16

Band members:

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh – Vocals/Fiddle

Ciarán Curran – Bouzouki/Mandolin

Dáithí Sproule – Guitar

Mark Kelly – Guitar/Backing Vocals

Martin Tourish – Accordion

Clare Friel – Fiddle/Viola/Vocals

With:

Jim Higgins – Percussion (1, 10)

Steve Cooney – Bass (1)

Graham Henderson – Keyboards (1)