MICHELLE MULCAHY

And on the occasion of the release of her first solo album. Michelle Mulcahy is a multi-instrumentalist who won the Young Musician of the Year award in 2006 and the Best Female Musician award in 2013. Finally, in 2023, the father and two sisters were awarded the Gradam Ceoil prize for their outstanding contribution to Irish traditional music.

Michelle is back solo this time, playing the harp as her main instrument, although she also plays the fiddle, concertina and piano, with her second album Lady on the Island, a title inspired by the magnificent reel that closes the album. The music on this superb opus (no fewer than 13 tracks and 26 tunes) is full of grace and delicacy, a sort of musical tapestry of tunes learnt from icons of traditional music. As well as a charming sleeve, the booklet contains very detailed notes indicating where the tunes were collected, with many historical details.

Along the way, we come across a number of well-known tunes performed by the Chieftains: Tabhair Dom Do Lámh, Dé Danann: The Flowers of Spring, Noel Hill & Tony Linnane: Sweeney's Dream. As a musician who respects those who have gone before her, Mulcahy pays tribute to musicians such as Michael Coleman, Joe Cooley and Mick Moloney, who died two years ago and to whom the album is entirely dedicated.
Michelle's playing is technically impeccable, her phrasing perfect. She has an undeniable ability to bring the tunes to life, adding her own personal touch. From the first note to the last, The Pure Drop, as the Irish say.

Autoproduit - https://michellemulcahy.bandcamp.com/album/lady-on-the-island