“Although the fiddle is my first instrument, I’ve been drawn for a long time to the viola with its deeper, warmer tones,” he admits. In recent years, he’s retired from a career as a paediatrician in Donegal, and he’s clearly harnessed the luxury of time to dramatic effect on An Irish Viola/Víola Gaelach. McGuire is a highly accomplished musician, with a fine back catalogue from his time with Buttons & Bows and more recently with the West Ocean String Quartet. Obviously it suits lower music very well, but I wanted to avoid a load of slow airs and songs, because that would have been such a predictable way to go.” Paediatrician “I wanted to show the instrument as one not confined to slower pieces. “I wanted to avoid the temptation of doing an album of slow airs and songs,” he says. McGuire invited Steve Cooney to accompany him, and it’s a heady combination of deep-rooted, reflective tunes cross-cut with deliciously delicate arrangements that amplify the beauty of McGuire’s tune choices. One of the reasons is the way the viola resonates so closely with the sound of the human voice I’ve been drawn for a long time to the viola with its deeper, warmer tones. The combination of viola and guitar works very well too.” “So that gave me a different kind of confidence, in that it hasn’t been done before. I loved her playing, but I couldn’t find any album of viola in Irish music, which really surprised me, because I think it really does work well. I’m thinking particularly of Máire Breatnach who has recorded some beautiful tunes on the viola, but they were part of albums or used as accompaniment. “There have been lots of excellent musicians who have played viola. “I don’t think that anyone has recorded an album with the viola as the lead instrument in traditional music before,” McGuire offers, reflecting on the sense of adventure that characterised this labour of love that emerged during lockdown. This is the first album of Irish music anchored by the viola, and bears all the hallmarks of a lengthy gestation in its thoughtful tune choices and pristine arrangements. A celebration of light and of shade, it offers an alluring space where the tunes of O’Carolan and those of the Goodman and other collections of the 18th and 19th century intertwine with the achingly beautiful tunes of Paddy Fahey, as well as those of contemporary composers including cellist and piper Neil Martin and McGuire himself. Sligo fiddle player Séamus McGuire has taken the viola out from the shadows and placed it centre stage, so that its rich, mellow tones can find purchase in the deepest crevices of our tradition.Īn Irish Viola/Víola Gaelach is a thing of beauty. As the year draws to a close, a new album has cast a fresh and unexpected light on our traditional music.

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