christy moore

The fire and fury and commitment of Planxty as a hell of a performing unit is there in full force. Live sets are by their nature usually best aimed at the converted, but for someone outside of the established Planxty fan-base One Night In Bremen certainly steers closer into the “worth acquiring” category than the majority of live releases.

Uilliann piper Liam O’Flynn has died after a long period of illness. To most, he will best be remembered as a founding member of the groundbreaking Irish traditional group Planxty in which he played alongside  Christy Moore, Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny.

Whether you’re already a fan or not, this live album is an indispensable addition to Christy Moore’s canon of work. A quintessential release from a national legend.

Some fine vintage folk in this week’s mix from the likes of Sandy Denny, Michael Raven and Joan Mills, Skara Brae and more. There is some dabbling in psych courtesy of Ben Tweddell’s Twelve Hides which was released in August as well as Toby Hay’s new EP which we recently featured in an exclusive first listen. All this and lots more along with extensive track notes.

Joy of Living pays tribute to iconic folk singer, songwriter and activist Ewan MacColl with a host of performers from the world of folk music and beyond including Karine Polwart, members of the Waterson: Carthy clan, Christy Moore, Steve Earle & more!

Today is Christy Moore’s Birthday, and we have a Song of the Day from the great man with a cover of Black is the Colour, a traditional song he learned from Hamish Imlach who he first met in 1967. Christy also has a big tour kicking off this month so get your tickets quick.

Masters of Their Craft is a new compilation CD from Tara Music, a label that was set up in 1972 to license the release of Christy Moore’s Prosperous Album. This release picks some of the cream of the crop!

The second in our Tradition mixes. It features both new and old from an old pub session from 1967 featuring Bobby Casey to Christy Moore, Kris Drever, Kate Rusby, Gavin Davenport and more!

Jacqueline McDonald and Bridie O’Donnell, better known as Jacqui & Bridie formed the first full-time British female folk-song duo in 1964. They went onto set up a folk club in Liverpool which was the early stomping ground for the likes of Christy Moore, Tom Paxton, Martin Carthy and Peggy Seeger. It celebrated it’s 50th Anniversary and final night back in January this year.

Gerry Diver’s fascinating ‘The Speech Project’ has received Arts Council England funding for Gerry to take his work on a tour of England in March 2012. The project features exclusive spoken word contributions from Christy Moore, Paddy Moloney, Martin Hayes and Danny Meehan.