"Their consummate musicianship, with McGlynn's articulate chords and single string runs accentuating his wife's graceful fiddle work in fast dance tunes and stately airs, was acknowledged rapturously by the audience. There's no substitute for class." - Neil Johnston (Belfast Telegraph)
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Nollaig Casey
and Arty McGlynn are a most exciting duo who together provide a rich mix of
talent and experience. Nollaig and Arty first met in Dublin in 1979, after which
their musical paths crossed again and again at recording sessions, television
and radio studios and on stage with Andy Irvine, Planxty, Makem & Clancy
and Maura O'Connell. The more they played together the more they enjoyed each
other's company and eventually in 1984 they married.
In 1990 they recorded and released their first album together, "Lead the
Knave" to great critical acclaim, it was awarded the Belfast Telegraph
Entertainment Media and Arts Award, (E.M.A), for excellence in the field of
Folk Music. Together, they arranged and played music for the sound track of
the feature film "Moondance" as well as "Hear My Song",
a full-length feature film, based on the life of singer Joseph Locke, in which
they also made an appearance.
In July 1995 they released their second album together, Causeway for Tara Music,
which as well as featuring Nollaig's superb singing for the first time, also
has nine sets of original tunes composed by Nollaig and Arty. These tunes range
from soft and gentle to strong and vibrant and display a unique love and understanding
for the music and its origins. Many of these tracks include the stunning harmonica
playing of Brendan Power.
Nollaig CaseyNollaig is one of Ireland's most gifted musicians, with an international
reputation as an exponent of Irish traditional music on the fiddle. By the time
she began to play the violin at the age of eleven she was already proficient
in a variety of instruments - notably piano, tin-whistle and uilleann pipes.
Throughout her teens she developed her talents both in fields of classical and
traditional music, winning several All-Ireland titles for fiddle-playing and
traditional singing culminating in the award to her in 1972 for the best all-round
performer.
Having graduated from University College of Cork with a B-Mus degree at the
early age of nineteen, she embarked upon a professional career, firstly with
the RTE Symphony Orchestra where she remained for five years and later as a
freelance player of growing stature. She joined the legendary band Planxty in
1980 and toured with them in Ireland, UK and Europe. In recent years Nollaig
has recorded and toured with a variety of groups and musicians including, Moving
Hearts, Liam O'Flynn, Mary Black and Elvis Costello. Her television appearances
include the BBC TV series "Bringing it All Back Home" and "A
River of Sound". Nollaig has also performed as a featured artist in Donal
Lunny's Coolfin band with whom she has recorded and toured extensively. More
recently She has performed as a soloist with the phenomenally successful 'Riverdance'
as well as featuring in Shaun Davey's 'Granuaile' and 'May We Never Have To
Say Goodbye' which was the theme song of the Special Olympic World Games 2003
which was hosted by Ireland.
Arty McGlynnArty is without doubt the finest and most sought after guitar player
in Ireland with a unique understanding of music he performs. Born in Omagh,
Co. Tyrone, is family were steeped in traditional music, but when his mother
bought him his first guitar at the age of eleven, it was the great jazz guitar
masters that he studied, and by the age of fifteen, he was already playing professionally.
The late sixties saw him move further afield, trips to UK and USA, moving from
band to band and adding the pedal steel guitar to his musical arsenal along
the way. But by the mid seventies the endless run of one nighters had begun
to lose their appeal and Arty was beginning to look for something more real,
something that would excite him again.
Towards the end of the seventies, Arty revived his interest in Irish traditional
music and his first solo album, "McGlynn's Fancy", was released in
1979 to great critical acclaim. This is the first recording ever in which the
guitar is played in an authentic traditional style, and as such has been hailed
as a classic in the traditional music world. Arty subsequently became one of
the most sought after musicians in the country, playing and recording with the
likes of Christy Moore, Paul Brady and Liam O'Flynn. He played as a member of
such prestigious groups as Planxty, Patrick Street, De Danann and The Van Morrison
Band.
Arty subsequently became one of the most sought after musicians in the country,
playing and recording with the likes of Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny
and Liam O'Flynn. He played as a member of such prestigious groups as Planxty,
Patrick Street, De Danann and the Van Morrison Band.
Arty is equally in demand as a live performer, recording artist and producer.
The album "Barking Mad" by the group Four Men & A Dog, which Arty
produced, was voted Folk Album of the year by Folk Roots Magazine. He produced
Christy Hennessy's album, "The Rehearsal", which remained in the Irish
charts continuously for eighteen months, he also collaborated with Frances Black
on her first two solo albums, "Talk to Me" and "The Sky Road",
both of which have topped the charts in Ireland and have been critically received
in the UK and America.
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