One of the great things about folk music is the many collaborations that take place between musicians, especially between those that play in the English, Scottish and Irish folk music traditions.
One such project saw John McSherry and Brian Finnegan join forces. The two have been friends since childhood. McSherry’s 2016 solo album Seven Suns was a Featured Album of the Month on Folk Radio in which Neil McFadyen’s introduction to the man summed him up perfectly. “John’s reputation as an innovator on whistles and uilleann pipes is second to none. A founder member of bands such as Lúnasa, Tamalin and Dónal Lunny’s ‘Coolfin’, famed for their contemporary approach to traditional musical forms; John has also led the way in more explorative projects, finding eager audiences for his work with The Soma Band, At First Light, Ulaid and The Olllam. In his second solo album, he leads a re-discovery of Ireland’s special significance in the ancient world, and the barely understood wisdom locked in its megalithic monuments.”
Finnegan has been frontman with the dazzling group ‘Flook’ for more than twenty years, having toured the world and recorded three highly acclaimed studio albums with the band. ‘Flook’ were crowned ‘BBC Band Of The Year’ 2006. He also starred in some great projects along the way including KAN, in which he was joined by Aidan O’Rourke on fiddle (Lau), James Goodwin (percussion) and Ian Stephenson.
They’ve been described as two of most the most unique and progressive voices in Irish music, a statement that’s ratified by this collaboration ‘The Finnegan McSherry Project‘ in which they continue to push the boundaries of Irish music even further. At this year’s Fleadh, the duo were aided by some good friends in the form of Donal O’Connor, Niall Murphy, Sean Og Graham and John Joe Kelly.
Here they are performing Wavesweeper, our tune of the day, one which was written and composed by McSherry.