Caledonia

Like the Chieftains, Ceoltoiri brings a refined chamber music approach to its expressive and spacious music."
The Washington Post.musicians and their instruments:

CEOLTOIRI BAND INCLUDES:
Karen Ashbrook;Connie McKenna (guitar and vocals);Sue Richards;With Special Guests on:Hammered dulcimer, flute & pennywhistle;Vocals & guitar;Celtic harp;Celtic harp (3)
Piano (2) & Celtic harp (8)Harmony vocals (7)Button accordionUilleann pipes & pennywhistle (10)
Piano (1)Fretless bassWoodwinds (1 & 2)
Percussion;Bodhran.Produced by Charlie Pilzer

Ceoltoiri says in liner notes:
Dear Friends,
Telling stories - with words and instruments -- has become a source of great joy in our ten years together. We love to plant old songs in an instrumental landscape where they can lay open the secrets of a heart within a household, a village, and beyond. There are lovers, of course, but also mothers, fathers, sisters, laborers, strangers...deep in conversation as the plot twists and turns! This cinematic richness has taken our vibrating strings to places we never imagined -- to the barely visible past where women's adventures sound a lot like our own today. Thank you for joining us on our forays!

"All songs are living ghosts, longing for a living voice."
Brendan Kennelly- here's a description from liner notes of first song: 1 The Cruel Sister (Child ballad #10) (6:48)
This tale of family meltdown takes an operatic form which starts with a Tragic Overture, followed by Act I, "The Betrayal," (listen for the murderous breezes as the sisters walk on the windy shore) and Act II, "The Wedding." Vocals, guitar, percussion, hammered dulcimer, pennywhistles, woodwinds, piano (Charlie), Celtic harp.

Review: 6-2004:
Ceoltoiri ,Women of Ireland,Maggie's Music
Three accomplished musicians form the Celtic Chamber music trio Celtoiri. These three women make arrangements of haunting ballads, driving reels and jigs in a spiritual ambiance. On Women of Ireland you go through centuries of moving music. Karen Ashbrook plays hammered dulcimer, Irish flute; Connie McKenna, guitar, vocals; and Sue Richards plays the Celtic harp. The Cruel Sister represents the typical Celtic sound with touching vocals, percussion, hammered dulcimer, piano and Celtic Harp. Mná na hÉreann is an admirable adaptation of The Christians in a top pop song called Words. Further highlights are Caledonia (a song from one the famous Scottish songwriters Dougi MacLean and Terence MacDonough), a lovely lament played on Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer with a spiritual approach. Fair Flower of Northumberland is a remarkable
intimate ballad on Celtic harp, hammered dulcimer, uilleann pipes and percussion. Ceoltoiri is assisted by many guest musicians on this very intriguing and soothing album, which truly transmits medieval feelings which you might experience on a mystical journey. Henk te Veldhuis,Bridge Guitar Reviews.

Liner Notes:
MM218 Women of Ireland
Ceoltoiri
1 The Cruel Sister (6:48)
2 Mná na hÉirinn (Women of Ireland) (5:03)
3 My Darling, I'm Fond of You/Baltighoran (5:01)
4 Sligo Maid/I'm 18 Years Old Today (6:33)
5 Joy Be With You/ Flowers of Spring/ Sweet Biddy Daly (4:15)
6 Hunter's House/Kiss Me Kate/Maid of Mt. Kisco (3:32)
7 Caledonia (4:35)
8 Terence MacDonough (2:13)
9 Sean Dún na nGall (Old Donegal)/Killavil Fancy/Buttermilk Mary (5:31)
10 Fair Flower of Northumberland (6:42)


1 The Cruel Sister (Child ballad #10)
This tale of family meltdown takes an operatic form which starts with a Tragic Overture, followed by Act I, "The Betrayal,"(listen for the murderous breezes as the sisters walk on the windy shore) and Act II, "The Wedding." Vocals, guitar,
percussion, hammered dulcimer, pennywhistles, woodwinds, piano (Charlie), Celtic harp.Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer & pennywhistle
Connie McKenna - Vocals & guitar
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Charlie Pilzer - Piano
Peter Mark Prince - Fretless bass
Bobby Read - Woodwinds
Scott Reiss - Percussion
Producer: Charlie Pilzer


2 Mná na hÉirinn (Women of Ireland)
Poem by Peadar Ó Doirnín (1704?-1769), music by Seán Ó Riada (1931-1971) Happily for us, Ó Doirnín's gritty experiences with Irish women in the 18th century didn't influence the lovely air which Ó Riada composed 200 years later. Vocals, Celtic harp, pennywhistle, woodwinds & piano (Carol Rose).
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Pennywhistle
Connie McKenna - Vocals
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Carol Rose Duane - Piano
Bobby Read - Woodwinds
Producer: Charlie Pilzer

3 My Darling, I'm Fond of You/Baltighoran
Our dear friend, harper Kira Davis, found the first tune in Francis O'Neill's Music of Ireland (1903). We'd never heard it recorded, and have always played it in her joyful arrangement. Kira joins us here on lead harp. Sue takes the lead on "Baltighoran," a slip jig she found in Edward Bunting's The Ancient Music of Ireland (1840). Celtic harp (Kira & Sue), Irish flute & hammered dulcimer.
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer, flute
Connie McKenna - Vocals & guitar
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Kira Pratt Davis - Celtic harp
Billy McComiskey - Button accordion
Peter Mark Prince - Fretless bass
Producer: Charlie Pilzer

4 Sligo Maid/I'm 18 Years Old Today
A classic reel punctuates this traditional song, allowing the embattled mother and daughter to refresh themselves for the next round. We used to sympathize with the poor girl, but now she seems to us like a bit of a brat. Funny how perspectives change! Vocals, Celtic harp, pennywhistle, guitar, button accordion, hammered dulcimer & fretless bass.
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer & pennywhistle
Connie McKenna - Vocals & guitar
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Billy McComiskey - Button accordion
Peter Mark Prince - Fretless bass
Producer: Charlie Pilzer

5 Joy Be With You/ Flowers of Spring/ Sweet Biddy Daly
Traditional Irish jig set. Celtic harp & hammered dulcimer.
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Producer: Charlie Pilzer

6 Hunter's House/Kiss Me Kate/Maid of Mt. Kisco
A tune from the revered Ed Reavy followed by a popular session tune named for a fetching woman in a town outside New York City. Hammered dulcimer, Celtic harp, guitar, uilleann pipes, bodhran, pennywhistle & piano (Charlie).
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer & pennywhistle
Connie McKenna - Guitar
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Kieran O'Hare - Uilleann pipes
Charlie Pilzer - Piano
Mark Stone - Bodhran
Producer: Charlie Pilzer

7 Caledonia
A celebration of home and Scotland from one of our favorite living songwriters, Dougie MacLean. Caledonia was the Latin word for Scotland when the Roman Empire claimed it as their own. Vocals, harmony vocals, guitar, Celtic harp, hammered dulcimer, Irish flute, pennywhistles & fretless bass.
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer, flute & pennywhistle
Connie McKenna - Vocals & guitar
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Heidi Gerber - Harmony vocals (7)
Peter Mark Prince - Fretless bass
Producer: Charlie Pilzer

8 Terence MacDonough
A lovely lament by Turlough O'Carolan for a distinguished Sligoman who was the only Roman Catholic of his time allowed to practice law in Ireland. Celtic harp (Carol Rose) & hammered dulcimer.
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer
Carol Rose Duane - Celtic harp
Producer: Charlie Pilzer

9 Sean Dún na nGall (Old Donegal)/Killavil Fancy/Buttermilk Mary
Our most traditional set, we begin with the revered slow air rendered in its highest form as a sean nós (unaccompanied & unmetered) vocal, and then offered alongside the first reel in the classic unison style of Irish playing. Connie learned this song from a visionary Irish album of 1950s field recordings, The
Lark in the Morning (Tradition), found by her mother in a record store bin years ago. It is the single album that set Connie on her path. The words were written by Carl Hardebeck at the turn of the century. Connie wrote the English lyrics for her sister's wedding. "Killavil Fancy" is an old favorite; Mark Stone's solo
shows off the tonal possibilities of a skinheaded drum. "Buttermilk Mary" is by fiddler Brendan McGlinchy from County Armagh. Vocals, button accordion, flute, hammered dulcimer, bodhran.
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer, flute
Connie McKenna - Vocals
Billy McComiskey - Button accordion
Mark Stone - Bodhran
Producer: Charlie Pilzer


TRANSLATION:
Donegal, you are the bright love of my heart
Lying like a green jewel in the great ocean
I love you always, both early and late
And I will praise you forever, my old Donegal.
There is no county in Ireland more beautiful than you
There are no people in the world who have better fame or reputation
Than those in Donegal scattered here and there
You're the fair flower of our country, my old Donegal.

10 Fair Flower of Northumberland
Another rebellious teenager of yore! We close our album with the redemption of a mother's smile. The text of this song appeared in print in 1597 and the line, "Oh, but her love was easy won." is the first documented example of an internal refrain. Connie learned it from the singing of Sara Grey whose source was Dick
Gaughan. Vocals, guitar, Celtic harp, uilleann pipes, hammered dulcimer, pennywhistle (Kieran) & percussion.
Artists: Karen Ashbrook - Hammered dulcimer
Connie McKenna - Vocals & guitar
Sue Richards - Celtic harp
Kieran O'Hare - Uilleann pipes & pennywhistle
Scott Reiss - Percussion
Producer: Charlie Pilzer