NIAMH PARSONS & THE BIRKIN TREE

At the end of the 12^th century, the chronicler Giraldo Cambrense (Gerald de Barry) left England bound for Ireland. The account he wrote of this voyage, Topographia Hibernica, contains descriptions of the customs and traditions of the people Giraldo had met. One of his most interesting remarks concerns music. “The musicians of this island”, he wrote “are the best in Europe and the music they play is both the sweetest and the fastest of all I have ever heard”.

Since then the rhythms of other European music have accelerated but the peculiarity so acutely caught by Giraldo Cambrense still characterises Irish music. The sweetness is in the ballads, tales of consuming love and emigration, but what always gets the listeners intimately involved is actually the filigree of the dances by the fiddle and the bagpipes.
 

Niamh Parsons

Niamh Parsons is one of the freshest and most powerful voices out of Ireland today. The great Scottish balladeer Archie Fisher says of Niamh “a voice like hers comes along once or twice in a generation”. Born and raised in Dublin, Niamh (pronounced “Neeve”) was surrounded by music from an early age. She and her sister learned singing and harmonising from their father, who instilled in them the joy of singing. As a young woman, she came upon a traditional singing session at Dublin’s Brazen Head pub. Though working at a full time job, Niamh was invited to sing at various festivals and on National radio and TV. Niamh’s meeting with Belfast musician Dee Moore led to a partnership in both music and life. The songwriter and bass-player found in Niamh a perfect voice for his songs. With their band Loose Connections, they were invited to play the Edinburgh Folk Festival. Later, renowned bodhrán player Johnny “Ringo” McDonagh invited Niamh to join his band Arcady. Touring with her bands The Loose Connections and Arcady, Niamh has appeared at festivals around the world. In March 1999 Niamh toured the USA with Josephine & Pat Marsh, singing in Capitol Hill for President Clinton.

Niamh’s debut recording, “Loosely Connected” (1992) had a cast of Belfast musicians, many of whom have become stars in their own right, including Alan Kelly, John McSherry, Brian Kennedy and session players from the bands of Van Morrison and Mary Black. Her second album, “Loosen Up” (1997) once again had first-class musicians, including Gavin Ralston, Mick McAuley and Ritchie Buckley. 1999 sees Niamh with a brilliant new release of traditional Irish ballads, called “Blackbirds and Thrushes”. In 2002 Niamh won the BBC Folk Award.

Graham Dunne

Young Dubliner, Graham Dunne, is fast becoming one of the most sought after guitarists in the Irish Traditional music scene. Based in Ennis, Graham works as a full time guitarist with Niamh Parsons.

In the past he has worked with Sean Tyrell with whom he toured Ireland, France and Belgium. With Niamh Parsons he has toured the USA, UK, Italy, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland and Ireland. Recently he has found himself accompanying many of the great musicians like Liz Carroll, Paddy Keenan and Tommy Peoples. He regularly works with the Mary Custy Band who are based in Ennis. In the summer of 1999, he performed in the critically acclaimed musical revival of The Midnight Court in Galway’s Premier Theatre Venue, The Town Hall.

Graham is the featured guitarist on the new album of Niamh Parsons called “In My Prime” which has been nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Album of the Year and also for the AIFM Album of the Year award in the USA.

Graham was also featured on an album by Michael Marks on the Starc label and on the album recorded by the Dublin Pub the Oliver St. John Gogarty. He has many other projects in the pipeline.

1994 saw Graham finish his diploma in sound engineering but he decided he would be much more useful on the other side of the desk.

The Birkin Tree

Set up in 1982 by Fabio Rinaudo (Irish bagpipes and flutes) and Daniele Caronna (fiddle and guitar), The Birkin Tree has grown into a group which internationally provides the benchmark for the modern revival of traditional Irish music. One shouldn't be surprised by Italian musicians becoming established in a genre with such specific geographical implications: traditional Irish music has already escaped its native boundaries. The more important fact is that, in the face of a proliferation of amateur groups, the members of this group studied there for a long time with the best musicians on the island; their skill and credibility are such that the sleeve notes of one of their CDs were signed by Liam O'Flynn, perhaps the best Irish piper playing today and Martin Hayes, one of the most sensitive and accomplished fiddlers in Ireland.
In the last few years The Birkin Tree have regularly held concerts in Ireland. National Irish Radio broadcast one of their evenings at the Harcourt Hotel in Dublin. Among the renowned musicians with whom they have collaborated it's worth mentioning Tommy Peoples, John Martin, Mick O'Brien, Seamus Maguire, Cyril O'Donoghue, Michael Queally, Martin Hayes, Kieran Hanrahan.
Right from the start The Birkin Tree has been continually open to collaboration. The most recent is with the great singer Niamh Parsons and the guitarist Graham Dunne, with whom they'll perform during Summer 2002.

For "The Birkin Tree" translation by Sarah J Hyde - www.thelanguage.biz
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