Customer Reviews

Midwinter Night's Dream

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Boys of the Lough have been around for almost thirty years now, and this album must be the best thing they've done (at least as far as I've heard from them). This is simply one of the most beautiful of Christmas or seasonal albums. At times it can be extremely solemn and moving. Their arrangement of the Irish language carol "Don Oiche ud i mBeithil" is inspired and inspiring. Another highlight is the fantastic tune medley of "The Mummer's Jig" and the reel "Christmas Eve," with Cathal McConnell and Christy O'Leary in fine form on flute and uillean pipes, respectively. McConnell also does a fine job on the English language version of "The Christ Child's Lullaby" (although these ears prefer to hear it in the Scots Gaelic). Aly Bain and Dave Richardson also acquit themselves admirably on this album, with Richardson contributing more of his fine tunes. The closing track, "The Dying Year," with Bain's fiddle accompanied by a tasty, piano backup, is one of the most moving pieces on the album. I often cannot wait for the Christmas season to come around so I play the album year-round (at least the tracks not so obviously associated with Christmas).

Nothing could be better, or help more with seasonal blues, than Boys of the Lough's upbeat Celtic Christmas. Better than British pudding after Irish potato soup! I could go to the mall if they played this! You don't have to be a Celtoholic, or know any, to finish your Christmas shopping fr them all with just this.

I bought this CD at a Boys of the Lough concert in 1998 and it's been in my CD player more often than any other disc ever since. Simply lovely.