Dàibhidh Stiùbhard – An Sionnach Dubh
Wildtune – Out Now
Dàibhidh Stiùbhard is a singer, hailing originally from “a place with no name” (where there’s not even a road sign!) – Tullywiggan in Co. Tyrone. He’s regarded as a traditional singer, but even this ready tag turns out to be something of a conundrum, if not a contradiction in terms, since, as he candidly admits on the liner note for this, his debut album: “I was not born into or brought up with the tradition. I came from a Church Of Ireland background, yet traditional music did creep into my childhood. As I grew older, I slowly reclaimed the right to own my native culture and language… and yet at times, I feel like An Sionnach Dubh (The Black Fox). A strange little creature outside the norm, finding my way through the vast rich realm of songs native to these islands.”
On reflection, one can appreciate the distinction Dàibhidh is drawing here; this is clearly informed by the acute awareness of his cultural identity which he was able to explore and develop during his studies at university, where he also became a keen Gaelic language advocate. In 2018 he was senior traditional singing champion at both the Tyrone and Ulster Fleadh, but his singing prowess extends beyond the Ulster dialect and Irish language to the Scots dialect and Scottish Gàidhlig. Also during 2018, he recorded with Scottish band Malinky on a track on their 20th anniversary CD Handsel – The Groves of Donaghmore, a song which he got from the singing of Paddy Tunney – and just a few months later in January 2019, he shared the stage with that band at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.
Dàibhidh’s singing voice is clear and confident, with effective and easy employment of decoration, an appealing lilt and fine diction complementing his solid, well-grounded timbre. His approach to singing is centred around the exploration and excavation of his roots in the soil and the soul of his native land. This album, therefore, collects together songs learnt from the Ulster tradition, Irish language tradition and Scottish Gàidhlig tradition. The most well-known of these are the plaintive A Stór Mó Chroí and the rather lustier The Overgate; Dàibhidh’s animated rendition of the latter is done a cappella, as is Belfast Market which closes the disc in distinctive fashion with an attractive element of gentle vibrato. On this evidence, I’d have liked some more a cappella tracks on this CD.
The album also includes two of Dàibhidh’s own compositions, which he considers “a juxtaposition to these older songs; songs that have new lyrics but set to old melodies”. Of the latter, Kin Of Cú Chulainn elicits the context of a language and culture for all, rather than making any kind of political statement or demand, achieved by the wonderfully intimate process of converting the different cultures and traditions and languages into song; this song, inspired by The Bold Thomas Clarke by P.J. McDonald, uses McDonald’s own melody. On the other hand, Vines On The Mountain, in true songmaker spirit, utilises a traditional tune that has something of an east-European flavour. The third non-traditional piece on the disc is Òran Eile Don Phrionnsa (Another Song For The Prince), a song written by A. MacDonald; Dàibhidh’s account here includes Niall Vallely’s tune Annie’s Tae along the way and also features a backing vocal from Mary Dillon. (Fine though this album version is, I’d also recommend you catch Dàibhidh’s stunning a cappella Fleadh performance of this song on YouTube). Aside from opening track Úirchill An Chreagáin, which Dàibhidh intones to a harmonium drone, the album’s instrumental settings are fulsome and vibrant. They feature the talents of producer Odhrán Mullan (piano, harmonium), Jack Warnock (guitar, bouzouki), Toby Shaer (fiddle, whistles) and Archie Churchill-Moss (button accordion).
Dàibhidh’s all-encompassing philosophy is that “traditional music is for everyone”. As he demonstrates on this fine debut, it’s truly a rich and engrossing world into which he hopes that others will readily fall through listening to this album.
Order on CD via https://www.wildtune.org/releases/ansionnachdubh
Stream/Download: http://smarturl.it/WT1
https://www.daibhidhstiubhard.com/