MICHAEL HYNES and KIRSTEN ALLSTAFF
An tUrlár Leice
Philippe Cousin
I have already introduced you to Kirsten Allstaff on the occasion of the release of her two previous albums. Originally from Dundee in Scotland, she moved to Ireland in the late 1990s. After ten years of teaching in Limerick, she settled in County Clare, where she currently lives.
It was there that, a few years ago, she met Michael Hynes, a flautist like herself. Their shared passion for the music of North Clare led them to play together very often. And as a natural progression, the idea came to them to combine their talents on a duo album, An tUrlár Leice.
One afternoon in December 2025, they met at Michael’s house and recorded twenty tracks live in a single take, selecting around fifteen of them to feature on the excellent album they present to us.
The title of the album, which means ‘The Stone-Paved Floor’, takes its name from a local tradition: in old houses in County Clare, a pot was sometimes placed beneath the stone-paved floor to create a natural echo, helping dancers keep the rhythm to the sound of their heels clacking against the stone. This album embodies that down-to-earth, unpretentious and lively rhythm.
Recorded with no other accompaniment, just the raw, authentic sound of their flutes, with the power, vigour and breath that characterise them, and with no subsequent additions, the album has a pure sound that is a real pleasure to listen to.
It naturally features traditional music from North Clare, arranged by Kirsten and Michael, but also several compositions by M. Hynes himself, five of the album’s fifteen tracks. These original pieces punctuate the album, blending seamlessly into the whole with a natural fluidity that conveys a sense of living tradition.
Radio na Gaeltachta was spot on in describing this album as an ‘echo of the past with inspiration for the future’.
Own Label - https://kirstenallstaff.com