trad
Record Review: Macdara Yeates’ “Traditional Singing from Dublin”
Possessed of a crystal-clear voice with echoes of the style of Luke Kelly and the emotional depth-charge of Liam Weldon, Yeates’s full-bodied singing is never anything but his own
By Siobhán Long
Raucous, bawdy, reflective and wistful in turn, Macdara Yeates’s solo debut is a robust collection in which this Dublin singer revisits age-old tales and renders them anew with his own unforced imprint.
As a founder member of the Cobblestone singing session The Night Before Larry Got Stretched (as well as being a member of Skippers Alley), Yeates has a well-established pedigree in singing circles, but unlike his peers in Lankum, Landless and Ye Vagabonds, along with his erstwhile bandmates John Francis Flynn and Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, he’s taken his own sweet time to let the songs gestate.
Yeates is possessed of a crystal-clear voice that contains echoes of the declamatory style of Luke Kelly and the emotional depth-charge of Liam Weldon, yet his full-bodied singing is never anything but his own. Light on decoration, Yeates favours a bareboned setting for most of his chosen songs, with many sung solo, and those that invite his own accompaniment on bodhrán and guitar are adorned with only the subtlest backdrop, reminiscent of the buoyant touch beloved of the late Dennis Cahill.
Yeates delights as much in the nonsense of his own version of The Herrin’ as he does in the poignant emigration song The Shores of Lough Bran (learned from the Connemara singer Sarah Ghriallais) and Dominic Behan’s Our Last Hope. Yeates’s colour palette is richly hued, thanks to the welcoming gabháil of his song book, where borrowings from Frank Harte, Seosamh Ó hÉanaí, Luke Kelly, Séamus Ennis and others coalesce to form a highly cohesive whole.
In a golden age for traditional singing in Ireland, Yeates’s debut comes as a further welcome affirmation that the torch is being passed to a generation who truly understand and value its worth, while acknowledging that they are not afraid to inhabit it with their own particular voice. Traditional Singing from Dublin is a candid, clear-eyed and uncluttered snapshot from a singer who is finally stepping into the spotlight.
Folk critic on the must-see shows at Celtic Connections
By Jim Gilchrst
Celtic Connections Glasgow’s annual roots music behemoth, Celtic Connections, presents an astonishing 1,200 artists at some 300 events across the city. The opening night at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, celebrating the 850th anniversary of the Dear Green Place, remains under wraps but promises “surprises incorporating music, spoken-word, dance and film”. Thereafter, expect everything from orchestral film epics (Jim Sutherland and Morag McKinnon’s When Fish Begin to Crawl) to East African singers The Zawose Queens, the Bulgarian Voices choir to Irish fiddle hero Frankie Gavin, as well as Americana aplenty and such renowned Scottish names as Julie Fowlis, Karine Polwart, Session A9 and infinitely more. Various venues, Glasgow, 16 January until 2 February
John McCusker’s Southside of the Tracks 2025 A man who has been playing music since he first skipped out of his school gates and into the Battlefield Band many years ago, Bellshill-raised roving fiddle player, composer and producer John McCusker returns to the Queen’s Hall, one of his favourite venues, with a veritable Who’s Who of traditional musicians and singer-songwriters. A formidable house band includes the likes of flautist-piper Michael McGoldrick, accordionist Phil Cunningham, singer-guitarist Kris Drever and drummer James Mackintosh, while guests confirmed so far include Katherine Priddy, Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross and Ireland’s Niall McCabe. Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 11 January
Robyn Stapleton: Songs of Robert Burns This special Burns night performance showcases Robyn Stapleton, a former BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year, now acknowledged as a peerless interpreter of the Burns canon, singing it with poise, delicacy and palpable affection, having grown up with these songs in her native Galloway. As well as old favourites, she’ll include some new poetry settings. Accompanied by such accomplished musicians as cellist Alice Allen, guitarist Heather Cartwright, Patsy Reid on fiddle and viola and pianist Alastair Paterson, Stapleton can bring freshness to the most well-worn of songs. Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 25 January
Edinburgh Tradfest Having just recently pulled off their first their first and eminently successful Winter Festival, the ever creative Soundhouse are now working on May’s Edinburgh Tradfest, which has become a major date in the capital’s music calendar. While planning is in its early stages, they’re looking to build on the success of last year’s event. Soundhouse expect some 75 per cent of the acts to be Scottish, but also confirmed so far are the excellent English traditional trio Leveret, featuring seasoned musicians Sam Sweeney, Andy Cutting and Rob Harbron, and, from Virginia, those inspired purveyors of bluegrass and old-time stringband music, the Hot Seats. Various venues, Edinburgh, 2-12 May
Orkney Folk Festival The 42nd iteration of the award-winning island festival will present artists from further flung islands, not least a major transatlantic contingent including eminent Cape Breton fiddlers Troy McGillivray and Natalie McMaster, as well as American fiddle-cello duo Brittany and Natalie Haas. From Scandinavia come Denmark’s genre-defying Dreamers’ Circus, while Finnish fiddle band Frigg celebrate their 25th anniversary. Orcadian talent includes The Chair and Saltfishforty and the wider Scottish contingent includes the high-energy Project Smok, singers Kim Carnie, Findlay Napier and Paul McKenna, while piper Malin Lewis, who recorded music for the Orkney-set film The Outrun, makes their festival debut. Various venues, 22-25 May
Source: Scotsman folk critic Jim Gilchrist on the must-see shows of 2025