We start off with a mediaeval arrangement of Rug Muire Mac do Dhia (Mary Bore a Son to God), a traditional carol with Gaelic words. Sir Festus Burke is a celebratory Carolan tune. We've joined it here to the festive Planxty Tom Judge which you may know better as Carolan's Frolic. The Snow that Melts the Soonest was picked up from a Newcastle street singer in 1821 and brought over by Charles in 1971. We're not sure what happened in between! We found the fine hornpipe The Piper in the Meadow Straying in Johnny Fean's repertoire. We're not sure if whoever wrote it had just heard Deck the Halls or vice versa - but it's a nice Christmassy tune. Playford's "Dancing Master" of 1651 is the official source for Drive the Cold Winter Away but we first heard it from Jimmy who claims he unearthed it single handed! Thompson's and Cottage in the Grove are a pair of reels. The concertina is a perfect match for their delicate cadences. Ny Kirree fa Naghtey is a manx carol. The title is translated as The Sheep 'neath the Snow. Manx is quite close to both Donegal Irish and Scots Gallic (in Irish the title would read Na Caoirigh faoi Shneachta) but it was only ever written phonetically, hence the peculiar spelling. The tune is lovely, don't you think? Crabs in the Skillet just the thing for a Christmas starter, is followed by Denis O'Connor, another Carolan tune (this time in celebration of The O'Connors of Belanagare). This was first played on Christmas day 1723. It's worn well! Jimmy did the arrangement on Do'n oiche ud i mbeithil (that night in Bethlehem) and it gives an unusual feel to this lovely old Gaelic carol. Although we play the Lullaby as an instrumental, it's really a song. The version we have has Victorian words, but there are other versions, other lyrics. The Snow And The Frost Are All Over/Paddy Fahey's. That we're great fans of Irish Ceili bands should be evident from this arrangement. Charles has been singing When a Man's in Love for so long that we decided to get it all over in one go. This Song has been collected as far away as Donegal, Wexford and even Nova Scotia. How's that for universal appeal? Tracks 1/ Rug Muire Mac do Dhia (Mary Bore a Son to God) 2/ Sir Festus Burke/Carolan's Frolic 3/ The Snow that Melts the Soonest 4/ The Piper in the Meadow Straying 5/ Drive the Cold Winter away 6/ Thompson's/Cottage in the Grove 7/ Ny Kirree fo Naghtey (The Sheep 'neath the Snow) 8/ Crabs in the Skillet 9/ Denis O'Connor 10/ Do'n oiche ud i mbeithil (That Night in Bethlehem) 11/ Lullaby 12/ The Snow and the Frost are All Over / Paddy Fahey's 13/ When a Man's in Love Charles O'Connor sang and played mandolin, fiddle, concertina and Northumbrian pipes. Jim Lockhart played a bewildering array of keyboards including harpsichord, celeste, table organ, pipe organ and piano. He also sang and played Uilleann pipes, flute, tin whistle and recorder - octopus city! John Fean played fiddle, mandolin, banjo and all manner of guitars. Barry Devlin played bass and grumbled a lot and Eamon Carr hit out at a bodhran and a loose skinned Arabian Bongo. (Derek Taylor was not in the studio). Remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Peter Mew & Horslips from the original tapes. ~ Recorded in Trend Studios; September 1975 Engineer Fred Meijer. Thanks Fred! Management, Horslips Records, 58 Haddingtcuz Road, Dublin 4. This is a stereo album we've wanted to do for four years. It can be played on mono reproducers or on Christmas Day; or both. Happy Christmas.