"One of the great contemporary folk voices of Ireland"

JIMMY McCARTHY

  buy Song Ablaze

On this album, I’ve tried to trace a path between Ireland, Scotland and North America with particular reference to the old timey music of the Appalachian mountains, whose early settlers were mainly Irish and Scots.

 The songs range from traditional Irish and Traditional American to the works of contemporary writers, again, from both sides of the Atlantic.  One centrepiece is a trilogy of songs written by Jimmy McCarthy.  The keynote of all three is people and places in Cork and Kerry.  Coupled with this, you’ll find songs from Gillian Welch and Tom Waits with themes and imagery very sympathetic, I feel, to the Irish psyche.

 Most of the recording came about during a rousing three day “live” studio session in Scotland.  With the intrepid cast of Chris Catriona, David and I assembled, we nailed most of the songs in the first or second take.  A sublime experience – and great fun too!

 Through the wonders of modern technology, additional recordings took place in West Kerry, California and Nashville.  A fact that still baffles me is that Pete Grant sent his dobro and banjo parts to me from San Francisco – via e-mail!  I actually received them at the internet café in Dingle!!

        Tim O’Brien on the other hand, sent me all his wonderful vocal harmony parts plus a bonus – a mandolin solo that I hadn’t even asked for!  It’s in there and it’s great.

        I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the musicians and singers on this album.  I am truly blessed and inspired by them.  Through their combined efforts, the many assorted strands that make up this recording have knitted together to form on constant sweeping sound.

                Tommy O'Sullivan

FEATURING:

Tim O'Brien  USA Grammy Award Winner 2006
Chris Stout  Shetland-come on!
Catriona McKay  SCO
David Robertson  SCO
James Blennerhasset  IRL
Eilís Kennedy  IRL
Pete Grant  USA

 TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 47.14

 ©TOMMY O'SULLIVAN 2006

Tracks

1   ONE MORE DOLLAR  4.39

2   THE CONTENDER  4.42

3   FIDDLE AND BOW  3.50

4   MAKE ME BELIEVE  4.41

5   SHE MOVED THROUGH THE FAIR  5.01

6   THE PEOPLE OF WEST CORK AND KERRY  6.09

7   NEIDÍN  4.03

8   TIMES  4.56

9   INHIBITIONS  4.09

10   SHIVER ME TIMBERS  5.00

THE PLAYERS

Tim O'Brien: Harmony vocals/mandoline
Chris Stout: Fiddle/viola
Catriona McKay: Piano/harp
David Robertson: Percussion
James Blennerhasset: Double bass
Eilís Kennedy: Harmony vocals
Pete Grant: Dobro/5 string banjo

 
SHIVER ME TIMBERS

(Tom Waits © Fifth Floor Music Inc. ASCAP)

 A little known fact surrounding Tom Waits is that he lived in Cahirciveen Co. Kerry for a short time in the 1970’s.  He went there to write songs amid the tranquil Kerry coastline.  He later returned to Kerry for his honeymoon in Tralee.  With it’s rich sea imagery, I occasionally wonder, could this song have been written around that time.

 TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
CATRIONA PIANO
CHRIS FIDDLE/VIOLA
JAMES DOUBLE BASS
 

ONE MORE DOLLAR

(Gillian Welch/David Rawlings © Irvine Music inc/Say Uncle Music/Craclin' Music)

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
TIM HARMONY VOCAL
EILÍS HARMONY VOCAL
CHRIS FIDDLE
CATRIONA PIANO
JAMES DOUBLE BASS

This american song of migration brings to mind the parallel experience of the  many  irish who emigrated  in the late 1950's.  They too sent money home and helped to prop up the irish economy during a time of extreme hardship.

RECORDED AT   Castlesound Studio, Scotland
ENGINEER: Stuart Hamilton
Scragg Hill Studio, Dingle, Ireland
ENGINEER: Steve Coulter
The Butcher Shop, Nashville
ENGINEER: David Ferguson
Hitsville Auburn, California
ENGINEER: Pete Grant

MIXED AND MASTERED BY   Stuart Hamilton
PRODUCED BY   Chris Stout and Tommy O'Sullivan
ARRANGED BY   Chris, Tommy and Catriona
WEBSITE   www.tommyosullivan.net
CONTACT   tommy@tommyosullivan.net
Tel: +353 669151149/+353 863792499

 SPECIAL THANKS TO  

Donal Murphy, Mike O'Shea, Ursula Flannery, Joe Gerhard,
Jon Sanders, Matt Cranitch, Paddy Keenan, Derek Hickey,
Michelle Flannery, Jim Kane, Philip King, Sean Granville,
Mazz O'Flaherty, John Minihan and all the staff at the regular Wed. session in
John Benny Moriarty's, Dingle

 PHOTOGRAPHY  John Minihan

*Studio photos by:
Catriona McKay, Chris Stout                  

DESIGN: ELLEN BRAENDE
WEB Design: bil

THE CONTENDER

(Jimmy McCarthy © Universal Music Pub. UK)

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
CATRIONA PIANO
CHRIS FIDDLE/VIOLA
JAMES DOUBLE BASS

The first of the Jimmy McCarthy trilogy focuses on the life of Jack Doyle from Cork.  Nicknamed "The Gorgeous Gael", he was a boxer and singer.  His ambition was to fight like Jack Dempsey and sing like John McCormack.  Throught his skill and charisma he achieved world fame but died a pauper.




SHE MOVED THROUGH THE FAIR Traditional 

Simply one of the most beautiful and best loved traditional Irish songs of all time.

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
CHRIS VIOLA
CATRIONA HARP
EILÍS HARMONY VOCAL

My young love said to me my mother won't mind
And my father won't slight you,
For your lack of kind
Then she stepped away from me and this she did say,
It will not be long love till the next market day

She stepped away from me and she moved through the fair
And fondly I watched her move here and move there,
And then she went homeward with one star awake,
As the swan in the evening moves over the lake

Last night she came to me she came softly in
So softly she came that her feet made no din
Then she stepped away from me and this she did say,
It will not be long now till our wedding day

 
THE PEOPLE OF WEST CORK AND KERRY  (Jimmy McCarthy © Universal Music Pub. UK)

TOMMY VOCAL
TIM HARMONY VOCAL
CATRIONA PIANO
CHRIS VIOLA
PETE DOBRO

Late one night, in the appropriate setting of Kenmare, I first heard Jimmy McCarthy sing this song.  At the time, he explained to me that this was part of a work in progress – The second in a trilogy of songs honouring Cork and Kerry – The First being Neidin (Irish for Kenmare).

 
NEIDIN (Jimmy McCarthy © Universal Music Pub. UK)

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
CATRIONA PIANO/HARP
CHRIS FIDDLE/VIOLA
JAMES DOUBLE BASS

Dedicated to my brother John who lives in Perth, Australia.

TIMES, Traditional

 
Plucked straight from the repertoire of Mick Daly from Cork who at one time or another has been a member of 4 men and a dog, any old time and the Lee Valley String Band

 
Times are not what they used to be
There's trouble all the time
And no one knows the inner grief
of my poor troubled mind

Oft times I've suffered for your sake
It's you I love most dear
I wish that I could go with you
or you might tarry here 
I wish my heart was made of glass
In it you might behold                                                       
Your name in secret I would writein letters of fine gold

Yes your name in secret I would write
Believe in what I say
Cause you are the one I love the best
until my dying day

 
So give to me your heart my dear
And love in every vein
I swear I'll lead a single life
till you come back again

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
TIM VOCAL/MANDOLINE
PETE DOBRO
JAMES DOUBLE BASS
DAVID PERCUSSION

 
MAKE ME BELIEVE (Tommy O'Sullivan © IMRO/MCPS)

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
TIM HARMONY VOCAL
CATRIONA PIANO
CHRIS FIDDLE/VIOLA
JAMES DOUBLE BASS

 DEDICATED TO MY TWO BOYS AARON AND RIAN.

 When I was a child I was new to the world,
I was only beginning believed all I heard
Now a world weary man is tired of the lies
Tired of the hatred greed and genocide
Make me believe, make me believe
Like I'm only beginning, make me believe 

In the world that we live there must be a way
To keep all the anger and hunger at bay,
Feed all the children close down the wars
Burn all the weapons and stop keeping score
Make me believe, make me believe
In the world that we live, make me believe 

There's a reason why we live that's more than routine
There's spirit that's lost that we can redeem
There's a cry in my heart, screaming right out loud
There's a song to be heard it's the voice of humanity

 
There's a thread that holds us we're part of a chain
We're born of the earth and there we'll remain
We must all sway together like leaves on a tree
Like the sun in the morning make me believe

Make me believe, make me believe
Like the sun in the morning, make me believe
Make me believe, make me believe
Like the sun in the morning, make me believe

FIDDLE AND A BOW Traditional

West Kerry resident Philip King sings and unaccompanied version of this and that’s how I start it.  I eventually learned the words (and changed a few) from Eilis Kennedy.
 

Heard my neighbour's rooster crow,
Early in the day,
Heard his axe beyond the wood
And now I'm bound away.
For some they love the city life
Some they crave the town,
Me I'm bound for the lonesome woods
That's where I'll settle down
 

Fiddle and bow and a firelight low,
You can hear that lonesome sound,
I'll leave behind my trouble in mind
And go the whole world round

 
The red squirrel goes when the grey squirrel comes
The eagle nests alone,
A 100 miles from the wagon trail,
Is where I'll build my home
 

I've seen the old man whittling wood,
I've seen the streets of town,
I'm gonna pack my goods for the lonesome woods
And there I'll lay me down

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
CHRIS FIDDLE
PETE BANJO
DAVID PERCUSSION
JAMES DOUBLE BASS
TIM HARMONY VOCALS

INHIBITIONS (Tommy O'Sullivan © IMRO/MCPS)

TOMMY VOCAL/GUITAR
CATRIONA PIANO
CHRIS FIDDLE
DAVID PERCUSSION
JAMES DOUBLE  BASS 

I wrote the lyrics to this song many years ago but only added the melody quite recently.  It seems to have evolved into something approaching jazz – Sure why not!

Why can’t you say what you mean,
Speak your mind and just come clean
Why can’t you spell it all out clear,
Release yourself shoot down your fears

Your inhibitions get in your way,
You've locked and tied your thoughts and dreams away
That man is making you look a fool
You are his clown to ridicule,
Why can't you fight back with a grin
Turn his joke right round on him

Homeward bound you'll think of what you could say,
You'd like to turn back but he's gone away

Your inhibitions get in your way,
You've locked and tied your thoughts and dreams away
That lady there she looks so fine,
Relaxing talking drinking wine,
She seems so far removed from you,
You're worried wondering what to do 

You would approach her but you know,
You're insecure and that would show

And there's a whole wide world to see,
So many many places that you'd rather be,
You'd like to just get up and go,
But your gut reaction comes too slow

Your inhibitions get in your way,
You've locked and tied your thoughts and dreams away,
Your inhibitions get in your way,
You'd like to turn back but he's gone away,

Your inhibitions get in your way,
You're insecure and you move too slow,
Your inhibitions get in your way,
You've locked and tied your thoughts and dreams away