TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

I had really been looking forward to seeing Clannad since they were announced, given that it looked like being my only chance to ever see them as they are on their farewell tour - and it currently looks as if this may have been their penultimate gig, given that they have had to cancel the North America leg of their tour.

I did wonder a bit how they would go down in an outdoor space, but from the front, where I was, they were excellent, despite some technical issues.  I was a little surprised not to see Noel Duggan on stage as the programme suggested that all four surviving members would be playing, but the three Brennan siblings did a good job, ably supported by three backing musicians (never named apart from Aisling Jarvis - who appropriately enough is Maire's daughter, thus keeping it all in the family!  I'm not sure that the extra keyboard player wasn't her son Paul either.)

It was good to hear quite a mixture of music from across their history, from the first song they recorded to the most recent (produced apparently by Trevor Horn, who followed them onstage).

For self preservation I missed several sets because of the heat, others because I didnt want to see them and this one which I would have watched, but the lure of Merry Hell was far too great. Despite all that my poor old body had a very good time but took a few days to recover!

Having loved them since (and especially in) their earlier more folky days, i was slightly worried for them that they might be  bit too "quiet! for Cropredy and might bomb a bit. However, I'm delighted to say I think they stormed it right through to the end and did themselves proud. Tír Eoghain abú   :-)

PS - I just learnt how to do a fada/acute accent, by holding Alt-Gr as you enter the vowel...

Loved them. Very ethereal and beautiful, felt like a gentle massage at the end of a hard day battling the heat.

Lovely to hear numbers I recall listening to when I was young, in the family home, as my mum had a tape of theirs.

A bit dubious after several years off and in such a big space, but positioned myself in the shade of the stage and was transported. Loved every moment and found tears running down my cheeks with the early favourites. Worth missing Merry Hell!

I really enjoyed their set. I think I was expecting a lot of the ethereal stuff, which wouldn't have gone down so well, but they did lots of lively folky stuff as well. And Harry's Game was sublime.

Paul

I forgot to say I've seen Máire do a fair few things on Irish telly in the last few years (some IMO ill-advised) and her voice was maybe beginning to slip - but she sounded better than ever and even looked better than ever at Cropredy. the magic of the place!