Surely this is the year of piping, with a plethora of fine pipers producing albums and creative collaborations.
Many would view Cillian Vallely’s pipes as the linchpin of Lúnasa: his stoical, stalwart presence is at the heart of the band.
His debut solo recording is, unsurprisingly, a thoughtful, disciplined collection that casts some old favourites in a fresh light, as well as celebrating the vibrant compositional skills of both Cillian and his brother and concertina player, Niall.
Vallely's reach is wide, and his melding of the Breton air A La Porte Á Marianne with his own tune (on low whistle) The Raven's Rock is, in microcosm, what this entire album is all about: lovingly crafted tunes, played with both intensity and attention to detail.
The finely tuned addition of guitar, fiddle, viola, piano and concertina renders this collection almost pitch-perfect.
