'' Cara Dillon '' is the debut solo album from the Irish folk artist Cara Dillon. It was recorded at The Firs, producer/partner Sam Lakeman's parents' house. There were also recordings made in County Donegal, Ireland. The album was mixed by John Reynolds ( Sinéad O'Connor,

Damien Dempsey Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working class accent in the Eng ...

). It contained nine traditional songs Dillon had known since her schooldays and also had two original songs, "Blue Mountain River" (which was released to radio in Ireland) and "I Wish I Was". The album was released to critical acclaim, earning Dillon four

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British ra ...

nominations, two of which she won, a Hot Press Irish Music Award and charting in the top 10 of several music critics polls, including HMV Choice Reader's Poll. The opening track of the album, " Black Is the Colour", won Best Traditional Track at the BBC Folk Awards in 2002 and resurfaced in 2006 in the form of a trance remix single by Derry-based DJs 2Devine. Throughout 2001 and 2002, Dillon toured the album in the UK, Ireland and Europe, and several dates with

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

took her to

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and Australia.

Track listing

All songs traditional/arranged by Dillon/Lakeman, except: 7 & 8 (written by Dillon/Lakeman) #"Black Is the Colour" – 4:04 #"Donald of Glencoe" – 5:32 #"Craigie Hill" – 4:45 #"Green Grows the Laurel" – 4:30 #"The Lark in the Clear Air" – 2:24 #"The Lonesome Scenes of Winter" – 4:48 #"Blue Mountain River" – 3:46 #"I Wish I Was" – 3:14 #"The Maid of Culmore" – 3:09 #"

She's Like the Swallow "She's Like the Swallow" (Roud 2306) is a folksong from Newfoundland. According to folklorist Neil V. Rosenberg, the song "appears never to have been widely known and sung in oral tradition" and the popularized version of the song differs signific ...

" – 3:20 #"I Am a Youth That's Inclined to Ramble" – 6:07 2001 debut albums Cara Dillon albums Blanco y Negro Records albums {{2000s-folk-album-stub