Is cúis mórtas é do Doireann Glackin and Sarah Flynn a gcéad albam de cheol beirte, ar an bhfidil agus an consairtín, The Housekeeper’s a sheoladh.

Funded by The Arts Council Deis grant, The housekeeper’s is a pioneering research based album that looks exclusively on the repertoire of some five female musicians from the 20th century and re-examines their role within the traditional music narrative.

Made up of some 14 tracks, this album encapsulates the essence of various regional styles examining the West Clare, West Limerick, East Galway and Sliabh Luachra traditions for the first time exclusively through the female gaze.

The premise of this works is the recognition of Ella Mae O’Dwyer, Nell Galvin, Nora Hurley, Aggie White and Mollie Myers Murphy’s music and artistry. Included in the album is an extensive 20 page booklet which gives an extensive biography on these women and on the repertoire recorded.

TG4’s Doireann Glackin, of the Glackin family (Dublin) has been at the forefront of traditional music broadcasting in the last year, presenting FleadhTV 2018, Gradam Ceoil TG4 2019 and has recently recorded the second series of TG4’s largely successful TradfestTg4. She is also currently in her third year of a PhD which focuses on the sean nós singing tradition of Muskerry, work which ties in largely with her granfather, Seán Ó Riada’s legacy.

Sarah Flynn is an Irish traditional musician from Dublin. She began playing the concertina at the age of 10. She has been inspired and influenced by many other legendary musicians of past, present, and various localities. These include people like Ella Mae O’Dwyer, Mary MacNamara, Bobby Casey and Jesse Smith. In recent years Flynn has enjoyed passing on her love and knowledge of traditional music to many students both in Ireland and abroad.
She regularly plays in a duet with Doireann Glackin and has toured with Dublin band Skipper’s Alley. Recent performances include Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica, Bologna, TradfestTg4, supporting act for Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill, Tunes in the Church and Milan Expo.

The rich, vibrant legacy of Dublin Traditional music runs as a strong undercurrent to this album. Both hailing from the North Side of Dublin, the duet have both been heavily influenced by the vibrant traditional music scene of their locality. They both share an interest in the music of various regional styles and are sensitive to the music of previous generations. This awareness is the backbone to their style of playing and this works.