Local Ground

2005 studio album by Altan

Local Ground

Studio album by

Altan

Released| 1 March 2005
Recorded| Summer 2004
Studio| Westland Studios in Dublin, Ireland
Genre| Celtic
Length| 46:42
Label| Narada (VERTCD069)
Producer| Altan
Altan chronology
| The Blue Idol
(2002)  | Local Ground
(2005)  | 25th Anniversary Celebration
(2010)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic|  [1][a]
musicscotland.com| very favourable[2]
Amazon.com| very favourable[3]
Tom Hull| B[4]

Local Ground is the ninth studio album by Irish folk music group Altan, released in March 2005 on the Narada label.

## Recording

[edit]

For the recording of Local Ground, Altan invited a few of their friends in music to play on the album. Former Bothy Band founder Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill plays piano on guitarist Dáithí Sproule's composition "The Roseville", a kind of a slip-reel. Steve Cooney guests on bass and Dónal Lunny adds guitar. Altan have asked Galician piper Carlos Núñez to contribute some gaita (Galician bagpipes) to two tracks. Bodhrán maestro Jim Higgins provides the rhythmic pulse on many of the tracks while Graham Henderson adds some touches of keyboard colour to a set of reels.[2]

## Artwork and title

[edit]

The cover art is a reproduction of a painting by Kilkenny-based artist Bernadette Kiely. The album title "Local Ground" comes from the painting title.[5]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Local Ground received a very positive review from the musicscotland.com website, describing it as «an album of beauty, energy, grace and finesse, retaining the enthusiasm that originally shaped [Altan's] music.»[2]

The album also received a warm review from Amazon.com website's critic Christina Roden, stating: «For [Local Ground], the veteran Irish ensemble has gathered 13 traditional and newly composed tunes. [...] The set list includes several of the jaunty dance tunes that are the soul of Irish music. [...] Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's fragile, girlish soprano creates many of the album's most memorable moments [such as] "Adieu My Lovely Nancy" and [the] lullaby "Dun Do Shuil". [...] The entire album has home-town warmth to it, a sense of achieved heritage that is at once soothing and invigorating.»[3]

## Track listing

[edit]

Source[6][7]

All songs, medleys and tunes are traditional, except as indicated.

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Type| Length

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|
|
|

1.| "Éirigh's Cuir Ort Do Chuid Éadaigh"|  | Song #1| 3:18
2.| "Tommy Peoples/The Road to Cashel/The Repeal of the Union/Richie's Reel"| Charlie Lennon ("The Road To Cashel") / Ciaran Tourish ("Richie's Reel")| Medley #1 (4 reels)| 3:46
3.| "Is the Big Man Within?/Tilly Finn's Reel"|  | Medley #2 (2 reels)| 3:48
4.| "Adieu, My Lovely Nancy"|  | Song #2| 3:15
5.| "Bó Mhín Na Toitean/Con McGinley's Highland/Seanamhach Tube Station"| John Carthy ("Seanamhach Tube Station")| Medley #3 (1 march, 1 highland, 1 jig)| 4:01
6.| "Amhrán Pheadair Bhreathnaigh"|  | Song #3| 3:54
7.| "The Roseville"| Dáithí Sproule| Tune #1 (slip-reel)| 2:21
8.| "As I Roved Out"|  | Song #4| 4:20
9.| "Spórt"| Peadar Ó Riada| Tune #2 (1 jig)| 3:02
10.| "The Humours of Castlefin/Nia's Dance/An Dúidín"| Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh ("Nia's Dance")| Medley #4 (3 reels)| 3:26
11.| "The Wind and Rain"|  | Song #5 (song & jig)| 4:03
12.| "The Silver Slipper"|  | Tune #3 (1 jig)| 3:32
13.| "Dún Do Shúil"|  | Song #6| 3:56
14.| "Andy Dixon's/Ril Chois Claiding/The Swilly Reel (Bonus Track only available on the Japanese release before the 12 March 2021 re-issue)[8]"|  | Reels| 3:29

## 2021 re-issue

[edit]

Originally released in the US in March 2005 by Narada Records, Local Ground had been unavailable for several years. Compass Records (Altan's label partner since the 2012 release of Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen and home to most of the band's catalog) re-issued Local Ground on 12 March 2021. The 14-track Deluxe re-issue includes a bonus track "Andy Dixon's/Ríl Chois Claidigh/The Swilly Reel," which was previously only available on the Japanese release (also long out of print).[8]

## Personnel

[edit]

### Altan

[edit]

Adapted from the AllMusic credits.[9]

* Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh – fiddle, vocals
* Ciaran Tourish – fiddle, whistle, backing vocals
* Ciarán Curran – bouzouki, mandolin
* Mark Kelly – guitar, bouzouki, backing vocals
* Dermot Byrne – Accordion
* Dáithí Sproule – guitar, backing vocals

### Guest musicians

[edit]

* Stephen Cooney – bass
* Graham Henderson – keyboards
* Jim Higgins – percussion, bodhrán
* Dónal Lunny – guitar
* Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill – piano
* Carlos Núñez – whistle, bagpipes (Galician gaita)

### Production

[edit]

* Alvin Sweeney – engineer
* Bernadette Kiely – artwork[10]
* Édain O'Donnell – photography

## Track notes

[edit]

1. "Éirigh 's Cuir Ort Do Chuid Éadaigh": guitar – Dónal Lunny; percussion – Jim Higgins; the title of the song means "Arise now and dress yourself quickly"
2. "Tommy Peoples/The Road to Cashel/The Repeal of the Union/Richie's Reel": bodhrán – Jim Higgins; keyboards – Graham Henderson
3. "Is the Big Man Within?/Tilly Finn's Reel": bodhrán – Jim Higgins; whistle, bagpipes (Galician gaita) – Carlos Núñez
4. "Adieu, My Lovely Nancy": bass – Stephen Cooney; percussion – Jim Higgins
5. "Bó Mhín Na Toitean/Con McGinley's Highland/Seanamhach Tube Station"
6. "Amhrán Pheadair Bhreathnaigh": bass – Stephen Cooney; translated by Proinsias Ó Maonaigh
7. "The Roseville": percussion – Jim Higgins; piano – Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
8. "As I Roved Out"
9. "Spórt": percussion – Jim Higgins
10. "The Humours of Castlefin/Nia's Dance/An Dúidín": bass – Stephen Cooney; percussion – Jim Higgins
11. "The Wind and Rain": bass – Stephen Cooney; bodhrán – Jim Higgins
12. "The Silver Slipper": percussion – Jim Higgins; whistle, bagpipes (Galician gaita) – Carlos Núñez
13. "Dún Do Shúil": backing vocals – Ciaran Tourish, Dáithí Sproule, Mark Kelly; keyboards – Graham Henderson; translated by Proinsias Ó Maonaigh; the title of the song means "Close Your Eyes"

## Live performances

[edit]

Altan played live in concert the following tracks:

* "Is the Big Man Within?/Tilly Finn's Reel"
* "The Roseville"
* "As I Roved Out"
* "The Humours of Castlefin/Nia's Dance/An Dúidín"
* "The Silver Slipper"
* "Dún Do Shúil"

## References

[edit]

Notes

1. ^ Allmusic erroneously refers to the lead singer/violinist as 'Maighread'; they are mistaken and may have misspelled actual bandmember Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh's name. This is the case with many Allmusic reviews of Altan's music - other erroneous 'variants' include 'Maircad Ni Mhaonaigh', 'Maighread Ní Mhaonaigh', and 'Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill' [a wholly different person].

1. ^ Monger, James Christopher. Local Ground at AllMusic
2. ^ a b c "Altan – Local Ground". musicscotland.com. 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
3. ^ a b "Local Ground Audio CD – Altan". Amazon.com. 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
4. ^ Hull, Tom (May 2005). "Recycled Goods (19)". A Consumer Guide to the Trailing Edge. Tom Hull. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
5. ^ "Local Ground". altan.ie. 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
6. ^ "Altan – Local Ground". Discogs. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
7. ^ "Album Details for Local Ground by Altan". irishtune.info. 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
8. ^ a b "Local Ground (Deluxe Reissue)". www.newreleasesnow.com. March 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
9. ^ "Local Ground – Altan | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
10. ^ "Bernadette Kiely". aosdana.artscouncil.ie. 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.

* v
* t
* e

Altan

* Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
* Ciarán Tourish
* Ciarán Curran
* Mark Kelly
* Martin Tourish
* Dáithí Sproule

Pre-Altan Studio albums|

* Ceol Aduaidh
* Altan

Studio albums|

* Horse with a Heart
* The Red Crow
* Harvest Storm
* Island Angel
* Blackwater
* Runaway Sunday
* Another Sky
* The Blue Idol
* Local Ground
* 25th Anniversary Celebration
* Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen
* The Widening Gyre
* The Gap Of Dreams

Live albums|

* The Best of Altan (the 2nd CD from this 2-CD (1997) compilation is a 31-min Live Bonus CD)

Compilation albums|

* The First Ten Years (1986–1995)
* Celtic Collection
* The Best of Altan
* Best of Altan2
* Altan's Finest
* Once Again
* The Collection
* Best of Altan: The Songs

Singles|

* "Dúlaman"
* "Blackwater"

Related articles|

* Gweedore
* Music of Ireland

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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