Reviews

Read full reviews of The Far Side of the Glen CD of south west Donegal fiddle music further below

‘This is not the “flashy” playing so often heard today; each note is given its chance to express itself properly – the music talks to you, as it should. No excessive speed, no attempts at fusion with other styles, just good, honest Donegal fiddling as we used to hear it years ago…’
John Waltham, The Living Tradition Magazine, UK

‘…For the true lover of Donegal fiddle this is certainly a true little treasure.’
Sabrina Palm, Irland Journal, Germany

‘The fiddle duets show the effect of long years playing together. There are complementary harmonies and variations, but the timing is spot on: you couldn’t slide a horsehair between these two musicians.’
Alex Monaghan, Irish Music Magazine, Ireland

Review: TradConnect.com
December 2011
Derek McGinley & Tara Connaghan – The Far Side of the Glen

Came across this album which sounds great. Its an album that focuses solely on the fiddle music from the south west area of Donegal and is called the The Far Side of the Glen. It was launched at this year’s Ennis Trad Festival. The album features two well respected Donegal fiddle players, Derek McGinley from Mín A’Chearrbhaigh, in the parish of Glencolmcille and Tara Connaghan from Glenties. Tara and Derek we understand have been playing together for many years in sessions, on stage and in various projects, have developed a repertoire and form that respects both their styles. In 2003 they featured as a duet on RTE’s The Raw Bar series celebrating the music and memories of Packie Manus Byrne. They have toured occasionally showcasing the music of south west Donegal and they both teach at annual fiddle festivals in Donegal where huge respect is shown for passing on the music of the area. The CD features just two fiddles throughout and was recorded over 2 days in a cottage near Carrick, Co. Donegal. The launch will be followed by a short tour during the winter and spring months. If you’re into something a little different, try this one out for size.

TradConnect.com

Review: Irish Music Magazine, Ireland
March 2012
DEREK McGINLEY & TARA CONNAGHAN The Far Side of the Glen. Own Label DMTC001CD, 14 tracks, 58 minutes

When you open this CD case, a card folder rather than the older plastic style, you may be surprised to find the CD booklet facing you and the CD under your left hand. This unusual arrangement emphasises the sleeve notes, and indeed this music is difficult to appreciate without some of the background conveyed in these notes. The Far Side of the Glen is entirely fiddle music, in the style and mostly from the repertoire of South West Donegal. McGinley and Connaghan both learnt from the late great James Byrne of Glencolmcille, and many of the tunes here come from his playing. The fiddle duets show the effect of long years playing together. There are complementary harmonies and variations, but the timing is spot on: you couldn’t slide a horsehair between these two musicians. Reels and jigs are supplemented by hornpipes, highlands, mazurkas, barndances, set dances and slow airs. As well as their twin fiddling, Tara and Derek take two solos each. Derek’s triplets sparkle on a version of The Thames Hornpipe and one of his own compositions, while Tara takes a lilting approach to two well known reels. The slower numbers are not as assured, although Tara’s untitled continental-style waltz is worth a listen. One of the best things about The Far Side of the Glen is that it documents tunes which are not widespread, at least in the versions here. John Phadaí Chonchubhair’s Jig is quite similar to an old pipe march, but little known outside Donegal. Jimmy McNeill’s Highland and a fascinatingly phrased untitled barndance are similarly rare. Others, of course, are well-known but still a pleasure to hear in these hands: The Old Wheel of Fortune, The Nova Scotia Jig, and of all things the popular Scottish pipe march The Balkan Hills played as a barndance. Derek and Tara end on a fine pair of unnamed highlands learned from James Byrne, playing the second in octaves for a final flourish.

Alex Monaghan, Irish Music Magazine, Ireland

Review: Irland Journal, Germany March 2012 FAR SIDE OF THE GLEN

Another Donegal CD, this time with two fiddlers. Fiddle music is very important in the most northern county of Ireland but what Derek and Tara are delivering is more special than what Fidil presents. The two fiddlers play music from the southwest of this county, recorded in a cottage near Carrick. They have been playing together for 15 years and we can truly hear that in the refinement of their playing together, the reconcilement is excellent. You can find detailed information to all tunes in the booklet. While reading, you learn about the deep connection between the musicians and their home and its music tradition. And this is the feel of the entire CD. For the true lover of Donegal fiddle this is certainly a true little treasure.

Sabrina Palm, Irland Journal, Germany

Review: The Living Tradition
April 2012
DEREK McGINLEY & TARA CONNAGHAN The Far Side Of The Glen, Private Label DMTC001CD

This CD arrived through the post the day after I heard of the death of John “TheTae” Gallagher, one of South West Donegal’s truly legendary fiddlers, so it was in reflective mood that I first listened to this recording. The easy pace of the playing, combined with a fidelity to the local tradition, seemed appropriate to the mood. Derek (a grand-nephew of John The Tae) and Tara are both steeped in the South West Donegal style, both acknowledge immense debts to the Dohertys, Campbells, and above all, James Byrne, and judging by this recording, they are worthy inheritors of their tradition. Recorded in a cottage kitchen, the CD features nothing more than the two fiddles. The sound quality is good and there is no “electrickery”. The material chosen among the 14 tracks reflects the local repertoire, with a number of old favourites and a couple of less common items, plus one hornpipe composed by Derek. So there are plenty of highlands, mazurkas, barndances, waltzes and reels. They’ve chosen to leave out some of the usual staples of the local repertoire – things like the Moneymusk and the Gravel Walks, and this is no bad thing – it gives other pieces a chance to shine. It’s easy to hear in the playing the respect they have for the music, and this impression is confirmed by the comprehensive sleeve notes. This is not the “flashy” playing so often heard today; each note is given its chance to express itself properly – the music talks to you, as it should. No excessive speed, no attempts at fusion with other styles, just good, honest Donegal fiddling as we used to hear it years ago, played by two musicians whose musical partnership has lasted long enough to give them that instinctive interaction that’s so vital in making good music. If I have a criticism, it’s that on most of the tracks they could have afforded to play each piece through one less time, which might well have allowed space for a couple more sets. Derek and Tara have produced something which is not going to thrill you if you want fast, furious music. But if you want something to listen to rather than just hear, then this will remind you where it all came from and why it’s worth savouring, just as it is.

John Waltham, The Living Tradition

Review: FolkWorld Webzine
July 2012
Derek McGinley & Tara Connaghan, “The Far Side of the Glen”, Own label, 2011

I have heard Donegal’s premier trad band Altan just in concert, and for many years Altan defined the music of Ireland’s north west for me. However, Altan’s approach to traditional Irish music is a rather refined and contemporary one. Recently I encountered the Donegal fiddle trio Fidil, who is staying true to its roots but take the music into quite outlandish realms. Listening to the kitchen recording of “The Far Side of the Glen,” however, we are treated to the pure drop and the very roots of Donegal fiddle music. Derek McGinley and Tara Connaghan are two traditional fiddlers from South West Donegal – Derek from the Glencolmcille area and Tara from Glenties, respectively – who play together for years which shows in their mutual understanding. Twin fiddling has a long tradition in Co. Donegal. Furthermore, there is gentle pacing and no crossover into other genres. The repertoire as well is rooted in the area, the music they grew up with. Such as the opening two jigs learned from their mentor and teacher James Byrne, “John Phadaí Chonchubhair’s / The Nova Scotia Jig,” both not very well known. This is followed by some more unfamiliar highlands, hornpipes and barndances. The travelling fiddler John Doherty has to be credited for many of these tunes. I could go on and marvel about the chosen tunes, let me only mention the popular reel “The Old Wheel Of Fortune” (the tune also being the title track of Fidil’s latest album), or “Maggie Pickens,” a specific solo step dance, played in two different versions here, the second learned from Glenties fiddler Vincent Campbell. Derek has his solo outing with the well known song “Rocking The Cradle,” while Tara does some beautiful waltzes, and God knows how these tunes made their way from Austria to Donegal in the last 200 years.

© Walkin’ T:-)M: Thomas Keller, FolkWorld Webzine, Germany

Review: TheSession.org
April 2012
The Far Side of the Glen by Derek McGinley and Tara Connaghan 

View abc and staff notation files of tracks along with comments / reviews / discussions on The Far Side of the Glen CD.

TheSession.org

Review: Songlines Magazine, UK
July 2012
Derek McGinley & Tara Connaghan, The Far Side of the Glen, McGinley & Connaghan (58mins)
**** 4 stars

Fearsome Fiddling from Donegal
From the opening notes of The Far Side of the Glen, if you know anything about Irish fiddle music you’ll know exactly where your next 58 minutes will be spent – southwest Donegal. The fiddle is the dominant instrument in County Donegal, but there’s a significant twist, in that fiddlers (especially duos) often try to replicate the sound of the uilleann pipes. One such method is known as ‘bassing’ wherein both fiddlers play the melody but with an octave’s separation between them. You can hear both this and plenty of double-stopping (to emulate the pipes’ regulators) on the splendid debut album by duo Tara Connaghan and Derek McGinley. The title, The Far Side of the Glen, reflects the pair’s respective birthplaces of Ardara and Glencolmcille, the former to the north of the Glengesh Pass and the latter to its south.
Both Connaghan and McGinley pay homage to the late James Byrne, there’s ample evidence of his influence on a gently flowing set of highland reels, a barndance and a set of jigs, including a rollicking rendition of ‘The Nova Scotia’. Elsewhere McGinley plays an evocative solo rendition of ‘Rocking the Cradle’, a tune associated with the county’s most renowned fiddler, John Doherty. Connaghan’s solo pieces include ‘Eddie O’Gara’s’, a gentle waltz featuring remarkable double-stopping. This is a hugely enjoyable release that adds more evidence that the Donegal fiddlers’ elbows are in very good shape indeed.
TRACK TO TRY: Francie Byrne’s Mazurka

Geoff Wallis, Songlines Magazine, UK