Hand-Me-Downs

“Learn these tunes, Mary” was the inscription invariably present on the homemade cassette tapes recorded for Mary Rafferty by her East Galway-born father. Well known to US audiences as a member of Cherish The Ladies, this fine New Jersey-based musician has finally recorded her first solo album. Playing accordion, concertina, flute and whistle with equal facility, she’s evidently absorbed much from her father’s style: both in duet with him and on her own, Rafferty has a relaxed, easygoing confidence rare in Stateside players. Special mention is due to Dónal Clancy for his excellent production and for his well-judged guitar and bouzouki accompaniment; he also contributes a nifty flatpicked rendition of ‘Darby The Driver’. Steve Holloway does a brilliant job in the rhythm department, particularly on the whistle-and-percussion duet ‘McKenna’s Reels’, and Seosamh Ó Neachtain even does a spot of sean-nós dancing on a couple of tracks.