Blackwater (Altan album)

Blackwater is the fifth studio album by Altan, released in April 1996 on the Virgin Records label. Three of the songs are sung in Irish. "Ar Bhruach Na Carraige Baine" is sung partly in English and in Irish. "Blackwaterside" is sung in English. It was the first album released by the band since the death of founding member Frankie Kennedy two years earlier. The final track on the album is a tribute to Kennedy and was written by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh herself.

Blackwater
Studio album by Altan
Released	5 April 1996
Studio	Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland
Genre	Celtic
Length	39:33
Label	Virgin
Producer	Altan and Brian Masterson
Altan chronology
Island Angel (1993) Blackwater (1996) Runaway Sunday (1997)
Singles from Blackwater
"Blackwater" Released: 1996

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1][lower-alpha 1]

Track listing

1. "Johnny Boyle's/King of the Pipers" (Jigs) (Trad/Trad) (Instr) - 3.30
2. "Dark Haired Lass/Biddy From Muckross/Sean Maguire's" (Reels) (Trad/Trad/Trad) (Instr) - 2:51
3. "Stór, A Stór, A Ghrá" (song) (Traditional) (Irish) - 2:51
4. "Strathspey/Con McGinley's/The Newfoundland Reel" (Strathspey and Reels) (Trad/Trad/Trad) (Instr) -3:11
5. "Tá Mé 'Mo Shuí (I am awake)" (song) (Traditional) (Gaelic) - 4:08
6. "An Gasúr Mor/Bunker Hill/Dogs Among the Bushes" (Hornpipe and Reels) (Trad/Trad/Trad) (Instr) - 2:36
7. "Molly Na gCuach Ní Chuilleanáin (The curly haired Molly)"(song) (Traditional) (Irish) - 2:35
8. "Jenny Picking Cockles/Farewell to Leitrim/John Doherty's" (Reels) (Trad/Trad/Trad) (Instr) - 2:41
9. "Ar Bhruach Na Carraige Báine" (song) (Traditional) (sung in English and Irish) - 2:38
10. "The Dance of the Honeybees" (hornpipe) (Charlie Lennon) (Instr) - 3:24
11. "Blackwaterside" (song) (Traditional) (English) - 3:43
12. "A Tune for Frankie" (jig) (Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh) - 3:25

Personnel

Altan

• Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh – Fiddle, vocals
• Ciaran Tourish – Fiddle, whistle, backing vocals
• Dermot Byrne – Accordion, melodeon
• Ciarán Curran – Bouzouki
• Mark Kelly – Guitar, backing vocals
• Dáithí Sproule – Guitar, backing vocals

Guest musicians

• Steve Cooney – Bass (tracks 7, 9, 10, 12), backing vocals (tracks 3, 7)
• Conan Doyle – Backing vocals (track 3)
• Jimmy Higgins – Bodhrán (tracks 1, 3, 5), darrbuka (track 8), snare drum (track 7), wood block (track 9), clay drums (track 3)
• Dónal Lunny – Bouzouki (track 10), bodhrán (tracks 4, 7, 9, 12), keyboards (tracks 5, 7, 9, 12)
• Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill – Backing vocals (track 3)
• Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill – Backing vocals (track 3), piano (track 11)
• Anna Ní Mhaonaigh – Backing vocals (track 7)
• Brendan Power – Harmonica (tracks 3, 7, 9)
• String quartet:
  • Máire Breatnach — Viola
  • Annette Cleary — Cello
  • David James — Cello
  • Tommy Kane — Violin

Production

• Brian Masterson – Producer, Engineer
• David Scheinmann – Photography
• The Design Corporation – Design

References

Notes

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

1. Ruhlmann, William. Blackwater at AllMusic

External links

• Blackwaterside on YouTube - Official video