Cormac Begley

A limited-edition release contained within very becoming concertina-shaped packaging, Cormac Begley's self-produced eponymous solo debut serves as both a masterclass in concertina playing and a sparkling showcase for the young West Kerryman himself. Scion of a respected musical family, recipient of a Seán Ó Riada Award and member of up-and-coming quintet Ré, there's something of the evangelist about Begley. Already making a name for himself with his Galway-based ‘Tunes in the Church’ concert series, here he sets out his stall for a wider audience in fine style with a virtuosity he wears lightly. Each of the baker's dozen tracks – a judicious selection of jigs, reels, polkas, slides, airs and schottisches, drawn from what Begley describes as the ‘internal soundtrack during my life to date’ – was recorded in one take and left free of studio manipulation. Moving between bass, baritone, treble and piccolo instruments, the results are richly poetic and altogether captivating. There's original material – Begley's own ‘Polka John’ is jaunty and freewheeling – alongside traditional pieces. Seán Ó Duinnsléibhe's dolorous slow air, ‘Beauty Deas an Oileáin’, is a tribute to a legendary Great Blasket Island boatman that sounds particularly affecting on bass concertina. Contrastingly, the nimble brace of polkas ‘John Dwyer's/McGettrick's’ benefit from the dulcet delicacy of piccolo concertina. An album that's short, but oh so sweet.