SAVE THE DATE: 15 October 2016, Boyle Singers Session Special Guest: Niamh Parsons

SAVE THE DATE: 15 October 2016, Boyle Singers Session, Special Guest:

Niamh Parsons.

Since Niamh's successful visit to the Boyle Trad Singers' session during Boyle Arts Week in 2015, she has launched a new album, Kind Providence, with her partner, Graham Dunne.

Review:
Her earthy vocals are shot through with a smoky undertow that captures the darker corners of her songbook. And that songbook has a few treasures lurking within. Irish Times, 18 February 2016.

We're looking forward to hearing Niamh again in Boyle on Saturday 15 October.

Come along, to sing or listen, and be guaranteed an enjoyable night. Free in.

September 2006 - September 2016

With 10 years of singing in the Boyle Traditional Singers session under our belts, we're still hearing songs we haven't heard there before.

Clare sang Kate Rusby's Bring me a boat.

Tony was looking to Tim Dennehy for inspiration, and Clíona to Maureen Jelks and the Back of Rares Hill: 
[…] Another ballad with an unusual twist is Reres Hill, originally from Eck Harley of Fife, though recorded by both Cilla Fisher and Mary Black. The expected pattern of courtship-seduction-desertion is suddenly broken at the end of the song.

There were also conundrums, Eugene sang Alf MacLochlainn's 'To my son in Amerikay':
She wrote him a letter and folded it up and sent it on its way
And upon the cover she carefully wrote “To my son in Americay!”
[...]
So it lay round the office for years and years and it gave all the boys a laugh
Until at length it found some use – in the training of the staff!
And to every new postman that came on the job it was shown as Example A
As “Insufficiently addressed ‘To My Son in Americay'”!

Francis quoting from Roald Dahl - born 100 years ago.
We haven't forgotten the older songs, and Frank produced, without any trouble, or much preparation, a song he used to sing often at early Boyle Trad Singers sessions: Cardin's Wild Domain. There's a blogpost here about it, written back in January 2010.

And, in additional to the traditional buns (Bríd), and sandwiches (from Cepta and John this week), there was cake! Chocolate.