Ór: The Golden Age of Traditional Irish Music and Song
Gael Linn/Hummingbird GLHCD9001; 60 minutes; 1999
According to the liner this
collaboration between two widely known Dublin-based labels “encapsulates 3
decades of recordings from musicians, singers and groups, whose names, works
and performances are deemed to have left an indelible imprint on the revival
and development of Irish music” as long, one should add, as they have recorded
for either Gael Linn or Hummingbird. The title itself is somewhat peculiar
since many students of Irish traditional music would regard its golden age as
having taken place between 1920 and 1935 rather than 1969 to 1999. 
Furthermore, taking the
quotation above as the criterion for inclusion, it beggars belief that no place
could be found on this compilation for Joe Cooley, Noel Hill and Tony MacMahon,
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Frankie Kennedy, or Johnny O’Leary, all of whom have
recorded albums for the Gael Linn label which are justifiably regarded as
classics.
However, Gael Linn still
supplies some splendid singing and musicianship in the form of Paddy Glackin,
Paddy Keenan, Frank Harte, Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, Brian Hughes, Eoin Duignan,
Seán Ó Riada & Ceoltóirí Chualann, and the over-anthologised Clannad in the
shape of the blessed Dúlamán.
Hummingbird’s input mixes musicians
exploring the margins in the shape of Dónal Lunny & Coolfin, Máire
Breatnach & Máirtín O’Connor, and Sharon Shannon, together with some
boisterous performances from De Dannan, Dermot Byrne, Bumblebees and Begley
& Cooney, plus an excellent track from The Voice Squad’s hard-to-find Holywood
album.
In other words, the labels
share the album equally in terms of tracks, though whether the same might be
said about parity of quality is questionable. The problem is that Hummingbird
had only issued around twenty albums at the time of Ór’s release whereas
Gael Linn could draw upon more than one hundred and fifty, though it is
irritating that the otherwise informative liner does not provide details of the
relevant albums from which this compilation was drawn.
Still, it’s not a bad
anthology, though one that might have been so much better.
This is an original review by Geoff Wallis.