Denis Murphy & Julia Clifford - The Star Above the Garter

Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford, brother and sister, are heirs to the fiddle tradition of Sliabh Luachra, the mountainous area on the Cork/Kerry border.

The album features just the two siblings' brilliant fiddles with no other accompaniment, and upon listening to the record you will realise nothing else is needed. Their dance music is music of the local sets but is played as much for the ear as for the feet, producing a range of emotions over the length of the record. Their airs are overpowering in their depth of feeling and for sheer traditional technique this is one of the best fiddle records ever made, with an equally as memorable album cover by celebrated French artist Catherine Folatre. 'The Star Above The Garter' has influenced traditional Irish fiddling since its release in 1969, still retaining the sense of that era whilst sounding innovative, and above all deserving to be heard.

1) Rathawaun/The Hare in the Corn ()
2) O'Mahony's/The Stack of Barley ()
3) The Morning Star/Rolling On the Ryegrass ()
4) Farewell to Whiskey/The Dark Girl ()
5) Tom Billy's ()
6) Dan O'Keefe's ()
7) O'Rahilly's Grave ()
8) Seanbhean Na Gcartai ()
9) The Ballydesmond Polkas ()
10) The Blackbird ()
11) The Lady On the Island/Callaghan's ()
12) The Munster Jig/Munster Buttermilk ()
13) Knocknaboul Polkas ()
14) Johnny When You Die/Anything for John-Joe ()
15) An Raibh Tú Ag an Gcarraig ()
16) Padraic O'Keefe's/The Scartaglen Jig ()
17) The Fisherman's ()
18) The Galtee Rangers/The Glentaun Reel ()
19) Caoine Ui Dhonaill ()
20) The Star Above/The Garter/The Lisheen Slide ()