Local albums and bands are often overlooked

Country albums by major Irish stars are no longer being released with the same regularity as in the past and some CDs by local pub and cabaret acts are often overlooked, especially if mostly only available at gigs. One good example of the latter is The Branded Man album by Mayo-based duo The Irish Knights.

It’s refreshingly different to discover that the recording of this album was divided equally between studios in Houston Texas and Balla in Mayo and this trans-Atlantic music marriage seems to have worked very well.

Most of the 13 tracks have vocals by Michael Roughneen, and are excellent covers of classic American Country hits by icons of the more Traditional scene across the Atlantic such as Charley Pride, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, Colin Raye and Ricky Van Shelton, plus a few Irish Trad music waltz tracks and jigs.

In the middle of all of those is a poignant song written, sung, and dedicated to the grandfather of Michael whom he never knew, as James Roughneen passed away back in 1968. It’s titled The Man I Never Knew.

While this song is poignant, it permeates the mind’s eyes (and ears) of the listeners with enough sincerity to take it well out of the maudlin sloppy, slapstick sentimental slush that some other such songs often seem to reverberate with.

This local group was started in the 1970s by Martin Roughneen and his son Michael joined the band in 1989 and now shares the vocals with his young daughter Shannon.

Recently watching them play at Tierney’s Foxhall with a mix of Country from classic hits by US stars such as George Jones or The Chicks to ones by Irish artists including Daniel O’Donnell, Foster & Allen or Brush Shiels they had the dancers knocking sparks off the floor for over two hours of almost non-stop music.

Their only break was when young singing star Jason Travers, best-known for his hit Carmelita, who was on a night off from his touring schedule, joined them on stage for a few numbers and he too had the crowd shouting for more.

He said the first band he ever played with as a teenager was The Irish Knights and they gave him his start in his music career.

The Irish Knights did this diversity of songs justice on the night, as they also do on their well-produced current album which is available mainly at their live gigs.