Think Back Upon the Days


Digital download available from Bandcamp.

Through writing fiction during the COVID I rediscovered my love of song, as well as a renewed understanding of how music can influence our lives. This led to me opening up plastic boxes I had stored away over the years, many packed with folders, cassettes, burned CDs and hard disks. I found my father’s writings, photographs from generations of fleadhs, sessions, concerts, old set-lists, songs I had wanted to learn ten years ago, songs I had started to write. I was aware I had some decent recordings post The Poet’s Dream (2009), but on the hard disks I was surprised to discover others I’d made of myself that had never seen the light of day. Some I still don’t even remember making; others I probably made in preparation for some fleadh competition so I could analyse how well (or not) I was pitching, phrasing, breathing or ornamenting at the time.

It is from this patchwork of recordings I have brought together this 2021 compilation album that spans my efforts in traditional and folk singing and song writing between 2007 and 2016. There are no new recordings: the first track is The Waterford Boys, recorded with Whisht! back in 2007; the last is a private recording of my 1916 Song Project song, The Rise of Wexford Volunteers, made in 2016. Some of the tracks were in better shape than others, however, once the terrific skills and understanding of Brendan Carthy at The Orchard Recording Studio was let loose on them, he did an amazing job editing, re-mixing and mastering the raw tracks I gave him. So thanks very much, Brendan. You made this a reality.