Say It Again

The Western People, Mayo December 5th, 2002: Dunmore family release double album to raise funds for Tuam Order of Malta ............................................. Three generations of a Dunmore family are featured on a new double album collection (CD and cassette) that has been released in recent days. Sean Walsh, who is well known on the music circuit over the years, is joined on the new albums by his mother, Nellie, and his daughter, Andrea, while also featured are Sean's brother, Tom, and his first cousin Kathleen Flaherty. Sean, who fronted the popular Haymakers group for several years, now resides in Galway where he runs his own record distribution centre, GTD Records, (www.tradireland.ie). Known far and wide throughout the province, he has issued several albums over the years. The new double album comprises of one CD entitled "A Picture From Life's Other Side" which contains 17 well known country tracks while the other one, Sittin' On The Bridge Below The Town, features traditional Irish music and song from Dunmore. This is a 23 track album with all the family members mentioned above lending their talents to this collection. Leading musician Basil Hendricks is also featured to fine effect and is the co-producer of the albums. It is quite unusual for someone in their eighties to make their recording debut but that's exactly what Nellie Walsh does on this new release. "I am delighted that the Order of Malta will benefit from the sales of the record," says Nellie. "All I ever got for playing traditional music over the years was the odd cup of tea when we played at house parties in the old days. It's grand to be involved with Sean and the rest of them on this record." Nellie is also the writer of the song "The Fair in Dunmore" which is included in the collection and sung by Sean. Some of the songs on the traditional album come direct from the era of the country house dances or kitchen parties of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Among the songs on the CD/cassette are The Rose of Aranmore , Bright Silvery Light of the Moon, The Humour Is On Me Now, Sittin' on the Bridge Below the Town, and the Fair in Dunmore, as well as a selection of jigs, reels, barndances and hornpipes. The country collection is entirely in the traditional mould of country music and, in many ways, the kind of music that has been close to the hearts of so many Irish people over the decades. The track listing on the country album: Please Mammy Please, Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, When God Dips His Love In My Heart, A Satisfied Mind, Wildwood Flower, Sonny's Dream, A Picture From Life's Other Side, I Couldn't Believe It Was True, The Little Whitewashed Chimney, I've Lived A Lot In My Time, Deep In The Heart Of Texas, Where Have All The Flowers Gone, The Wreck of the Old Number 9, My Little Cabin Home On The Hill, This World Is Not My Home, and The Oklahoma Hills. Pat Dempsey from the Tuam units of the Order of Malta has extended thanks to Sean, Nellie and Andrea Walsh and all associated with the recording for their generosity in donating all proceeds from it to the Order of Malta. "The world-wide work of the Order of Malta has been going on since the organisation was founded by Blessed Gerard back in the year 1099 and our units here in Tuam were founded in 1940," says Pat. The double CD and cassette set is now generally available in record shops throughout the region.

On the old Country classic

On the old Country classic “The Black Hills of Dakota” her father-in-law, Michael Farrell, from Australia joins her on the backing vocals. “My in laws are a very musical family, (especially when it comes to harmonies) and they are from a little, very Irish town called Boorowa in New South Wales, Australia,” says Andrea. Her husband Rhys is from this town in Australia which has a huge number of Irish names among its population and Rhys has been trying to find his Farrell roots in Tipperary. While his Dad was here for Christmas 2007 he put down the backing vocals on this song, which is a bit like bringing it all back home, as no doubt his ancestors sailed away centuries ago on a ship similar to the one Andrea sings about in “The Fields of Athenry”. “Michael is a gifted musician and he played the bass and sang for years with a band called The Shades,” says Andrea. Andrea spent over a year in her husband’s homeland and while in Australia she and her young brother Alan sang and played at singsongs in the land down under. Apart from singing Andrea is a talented musician and she played the violin while Alan, who is a multi-instrumentalist, was in demand for his mandolin playing while in Australia. Indeed one can hear the Bluegrass influences of their Dad Sean Walsh on the track “I Saw the Light”. Sean is on harmony vocals on ‘Goodnight Irene’ which was once covered by the Chieftains and Ricky Scaggs. Andrea also has a nice rendition of the old Dolly Parton hit ‘If Teardrops were Pennies’ on this album. “Keep on the Sunnyside” boasts a nice lively toe-tappin’ arrangement and shades of the singing style of some of her favourite singers such as Mary Black and Alison Krauss come through on this and some of the other tracks. While travelling around Australia she became a fan of Troy Casser-Daly. (He is a big new young Country star in the land down under singing songs about being on the road such as “Down that Road Before” and “Sing about this Country”). Watch him emulate the success of another Aussie, Keith Urban, who is also a favourite of Andrea Walsh. Andrea’s album is a confluence for all those influences so put “Say it Again”’ by this Galway girl on your CD player and play it again and again…and again!
By, Tom Gilmore. (‘Tuam Herald’ and Galway Bay FM)

About Andrea Walsh.

About Andrea Walsh
2009 A Galway girl’s Country!......................... EASY LISTENING music that transcends the borders of Folk ‘n’ Country with influences from as far apart as Dunmore, Dakota USA and Boorowa, Australia is what you will find on this debut album by Galway girl Andrea Walsh. Andrea gives a female slant to songs recorded by International stars such as Randy Travis and Don Williams while she gives a slightly Traditional feel to tracks which were hits for Crystal Gayle and Dolly Parton. Above all else Andrea stamps her own individuality as a singer on these songs and like the aforementioned Dolly Parton and Crystal Gayle she too has siblings and parents as well as grandparents who have all been bitten by the music bug since they were babies. Andrea’s dad is well known musician, singer and record producer Sean Walsh who has been singing and playing Country, Folk and Trad music since he was a teenager. Indeed Andrea’s late grandparents were musicians for most of their long lives too and her grandmother Ellen (Nellie) Walsh from Dunmore created her own record by releasing her first record when in her mid-80’s. While most of the songs on this album are more modern of her ancestors there are still nuances of that Traditional style which seeps through every now and then in her crystal clear singing voice. Say it Again, the opening track was a hit for Don Williams but Andrea’s version is interestingly different as it will be the first time for most people to hear a female sing this song.