Tracks 1. Mulhaires / Kiss the Maid Behind the Barrel (Reels) 2. Christy Barry's /King of the Pipers / Michael Dywers (Jigs) 3. The Maids of Castlebar/Boy in the Gap/The Old Maids of Galway (Reels) 4. Maid on the Green / Humours of Drinagh (Jigs) 5. Johnny Allen's /Paddy Galvin's/The Easy Club (Reels) 6. The Big House / Fred Finns (Reels) 7. Hag with the Money/The Maid of the Spinning Wheel (Jigs) 8. Our Beautiful Tradition/The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Song-Reel) 9. The Jewels of the Ocean / House on the Hill (Waltz - Reel) 10. Enya's Fancy / Captain Kelly's / The Salamanca (Reels) 11. The Humours of Ballyloughlin / Helvic Head (Jigs) 12. Fr Kelly's / Muineira de Ourence (Jigs) 13. Farewell to Ireland / The Road to Cashel / Tommy Peoples (Reels) 14. The Providence / The Limerick Lasses (Reels) 15. Enjoy your stay /In Sheridan's Guesthouse / Safe Home (Polka - Reel) Click on underscored titles to hear MP3 sound samples

We are delighted to announce the launch of this fine album:

Sheridan's Guest House
GUESTS:
Dave Sheridan: flute/ button accordion/ low whistle/keyboards
Seamie O'Dowd: fiddle/guitar
Brian Rooney: fiddle
Damian O'Brien: fiddle
Brian McDonagh: mandola
Francis Gaffney:
Oliver Loughlin: piano accordion
Junior Davey: bodhran
and many more, in fact a cast of 1,000's!

INTRODUCTION

"It is indeed an honour for me to write these cúpla focal as a short introduction to this very vibrant, exciting and delightful recording.

Showing huge promise and a natural flair for traditional music as a young teenager, Dave Sheridan has truly come of age with this, his début album. This young music and religious education teacher spared little or no detail in his preparation for this recording. He rallied sixteen of his friends to keep him company in this endeavour, including Seamie O’ Dowd, Brian Rooney (The Godfather), Brian Mc Donagh, Junior Davey, Neil Lyons, Oliver Loughlin, Damien O’ Brien, Padraig O’ Neill, Sean Gilrane, Padraig Mc Govern, Mick Mc Cague plus many more. The end result being fifteen tracks of carefully planned and beautifully rendered selections of rich, top class Irish traditional music with the spotlight tightly focused throughout on David’s own masterful performance, mainly on concert flute but also proving his prowess on accordion and other instruments, not forgetting his wonderful compositions on track 8 and 15. Dave is joined by different musicians throughout the album, giving a remarkable, energetic, systematic structure not yet heard on a solo album. Charlie Mc Gettigan said that he “could not recommend this album highly enough” and I would have to agree.

Ceann eile fós de na seoda breátha sin ó oidhreacht Mhic Cionnaith, Uí Dhuigeannáin agus mháistrí móra Liatroma fágtha le húmhacht ag an gceoltóir ioldánach cumasach seo ó Lios Gormáin agus Chill Earga an cheoil. Bain barr shásamh as ceol aoibhinn an tSioradánaigh agus a chairde mar a bhaineasa agus mar a mhairim ag baint as chuile uair da gcasaim é. Seoda an Aigéin go deimhin agus go dearfa! Nár laga Dia thú a Dháithí". Meaití Jó Shéamuis 8ú Bealtaine 2006

Biography
Dave Sheridan hails from County Leitrim, now teaching music and religion in Dublin. This young flutist (and button accordionist on one track) gathered sixteen of his friends, including Seamie O'Dowd and Brian McDonagh of Dervish, fiddler Brian Rooney, and many more. The album presents a wide spectrum, from duets and triplets to a full session sound. Jigs and reels almost exclusively. Imagine a friendly hostelry somewhere in the Irish countryside with the proprietor able to play a tune or two. It is a guesthouse that is sometimes confusing, and not too cleansed. Actually it's a caravan, and if you can imagine the number of musicians who have stayed in it, it's kind of reminiscent of the amount of musicians on the album. Dave's cousin Conor Sheridan delivers the one and only song "Our Beautiful Tradition" about older musicians wondering if traditional music is going to last or going to die. We know the answer, don't we? A class album..

Dave Sheridan
"Every musician playing on this album. It was an absolute privilege to play with you. I would like to thank all of the local musicians who I learned tunes from over the years. Thanks also to the John Me Kenna Society, Nancy Woods, John Regan, Meaiti Jo Sheamuis, Tom Mulligan, Fiachra 0 Torna, Liam Kelly, Damien Stenson, Sean Me Cague, all the lads in Monaghan, Galway, Leitrim, Sligo and Dublin for their musical friendship over the years, Jimmy Mc Kee, Gaye Mc Donagh, Sister Anne, Donal and Eithne in the Mater Dei Music Department and all the staff in St Michael's College,
I would like to thank Mam, Paddy, Gerard, Marian and of course Miriam, as well as my extended family for the support they have given me over the years. A special thanks to Brian Mc Donagh who recorded the album. Even though he is one of the most laid back men I ever had the pleasure of meeting, the amount of work he did on this recording was phenomenal.
I would sincerely like to thank two men who, without their influence, I may have never played music. They are Sean Gilrane and My Father Joe. Sean is playing the Flute on track 10 and was a huge encouragement to me down the years. He also composed Enya's Fancy, the first tune on this track. Dad would always bring me to local sessions, classes and Fleadh Ceoil's
and wait, sometimes into the early hours until the session was over. I could have played music until my 'heart was content*......thanks lads"!

Although this fine recording is over 2 years old, we at Copperplate believe it too good to have fallen throught the cracks of the torrent of good recording of traditional music coming out of Ireland in recent years. We will be undertaking a full scale mail out to retail and media, in the hope of helping this brilliant recording to achieve it's full potential. We are delighted to add this title to our roster.

 
 

Press Reviews

The Irish Democrat
GIVEN THE ongoing popularity of all forms of traditional Irish music and a seemingly never-ending stream of high quality recordings from both new and established musicians and groups it's not surprising that the odd album falls through the cracks of critical recognition.

Sheridan's Guesthouse would appear to be one such album. Originally released in 2006, this collection of traditional tunes has been put together, arranged and produced by Leitrim flautist and Dublin-based teacher Dave Sheridan.

Assisted by sixteen musician 'friends' of the highest calibre, including Dervish's Seamie O'Dowd (guitars) and Brian McDonagh (mandola), they combine to deliver a delightful and varied set of traditional music with a distinctly upbeat, though not frenzied, feel.

The album ably showcases Sheridan and co,'s musical talents and passion for the tradition. On Johnny Allen's and Paddy Galvin's, Sheridan demonstrates that, in addition to being a fine flautist, he's no slouch on the button accordion, while O'Dowd's splendid rhythmic guitar playing is a particular joy, providing the drive behind many of the tunes.

The one song on the album, Our Beautiful Tradition, is sung by Dave's cousin Conor Sheridan. A celebration of traditional Irish music, it is written from the standpoint of an older musician and questions whether it will survive and flourish amongst the younger generations. Given the opening paragraph of this review, I would say that the answer is fairly obvious.

However, while I approved of the song's sentiments, the arrangement and slightly breathless vocal delivery leaned a bit too far in the direction of MoR for my taste - a bit too Daniel O'Donnell and not enough Christy Moore, if you like.

That minor criticism aside, this is an excellent album, which deserves a wider audience. So, take a break and check in to Sheridan's Guesthouse. You'll be sure to have a pleasant stay. David Granville

Hot Press Magazine
In the liner notes for his debut CD young Leitrim flute player Dave Sheridan thanks his Dad profusely for all the hours he spent waiting to drive the fledgling musician home from trad music sessions that continued late into the night. Listening to the aptly named Sheridan's Guesthouse, you get the feeling that you've happened upon such a session-and a damn fine one it is too. An ever changing cast of players join in for a tune or two, anchored by the crack string team of Brian Mc Donagh (mandola) Seamie O Dowd (guitars) and Michael Mc Cague (bouzouki); but always at the centre of things is Sheridan, with his fluid, unflashy style, sound technique and solid ryhthm. A beautiful album throughout! Sarah Mc Quaid

Froots Magazine
It’s easy to have a soft spot for Leitrim, that gentle-paced Irish country whose traditional music seems to match the rises and rolls of the landscape and the tone of the flute players is as clear as the glassy waters of Lough Allen. Dave Sheridan is one such instrumentalist and comes from the tiny village of Killargue, halfway between Manorhamilton and Drumkeeran, but he’s not just a dab hand on the flute, but the button accordion and low whistle too, as Sheridan’s Guesthouse amply illustrates.

For any recording debutant it’s always a boon to be surrounded by inspirational companions, so Dave has corralled the doyen of local accompanists, Sligo’s Séamie O’Dowd, into the studio as well as the ex-Dervish man’s string-plucker in arms, mandola-player Brian McDonagh, and a host of other musicians from his musical stomping ground.

While Dave’s flute takes on lark-like qualities, not least on the effervescent opener Mulhaire’s/Kiss the Maid Séamie proves a bedrock throughout this utterly enjoyable album. However, the sparks truly fly when Dave hooks up with with long-time London-based fiddler Brian Rooney for Maid on the Green/Humours of Drinagh, while the thoroughly foot-stomping set of reels kicked off by Johnny Allen’s sees his accordeon trading notes in remarkable rapidity with the uilleann pipes of Patrick McGovern.

Elsewhere, there’s a flute duet to die for, Enya’s Fancy, featuring Dave’s cousin Seán Gilrane, and two tracks revealing the talents of fiddler Pádraig O’Neill from Dublin (clearly revealing himself as one of Ireland’s greatest wasted talents – as for why, the story’s too long to tell).

So book yourself a room in Sheridan’s Guesthouse, the rooms might need refurbishing, but the house band is a killer. James O Donnell

Gordan Turnbull
Hailing from County Leitrim, this impressive debut album features a large number of guest musicians (hence the title), with the flute playing being the central thread running through it all.

The flute playing is highly accomplished, dynamic and in a modern flowing style rather than the rhythmic style traditionally associated with Leitrim (such as Packie Duignan). The guests are too numerous to mention in detail here, but notably include Brian Rooney (fiddle) on one track, Junior Davey (bodhran) on several others and Brian McDonagh and Seamie O'Dowd from Dervish providing backing on all but two tracks. Some of the arrangements are inventive and forward-looking, but still very much within the tradition.

This is a delightful and exhuberent recording that reminds me of Jimmy Noonan's The Maple Leaf in the sheer joy of playing that comes over to the listener.

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