Search - Oisin Mac Diarmada :: Oisin Mac Diarmada Ar An Bhfidil[ Give Us a Penny and Let Us Be Gone ]

Mac Diarmada is best-known as the fiddler and lead vocalist of the youthful up-and-coming Irish trad band, Teada. Although barely out of his mid-twenties, he has already achieved an honors degree in Music Education from Trinity College, Dublin, and keeps busy as an instructor, journalist, lecturer, and producer. But on this solo recital he is engrossed in examining styles peculiar to Counties Sligo and Leitrim. Whether heard on his own or sparsely accompanied by a flute, bodhran, piano, bouzouki, or a second fiddle, he never fails to exhibit a unique sound and approach, with unfussy yet intricate bowing, a cello-like tone, and remarkably subtle phrasing, especially for so young a player. Although Mac Diarmada is tirelessly active on the world stage, this album has a charmingly intimate feeling. A lucky passerby might hear something like this and raising his eyes, witness a group of friends jamming through a parlor window. --Christina Roden