''Island Angel'' is the fourth studio album by Altan, released in 1993 on the Green Linnet label. In 1995, '' Q'' included ''Island Angel'' in its publication "In Our Lifetime: Q's 100 Best Albums 1986–94", a list compiled to celebrate its 100th issue. It was also the final album to feature founding member

Frankie Kennedy Frankie Kennedy (30 September 1955 – 19 September 1994) was a flute and tin whistle player born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was also the co-founder of the band Altan, formed with his wife Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. The popular ''Frankie Ken ...

who died a year after its release.

Track listing

All arrangements are by Altan. # "Tommy Peoples/The Windmill/Fintan McManus's" – 3:14 # "Bríd Óg Ní Mháille" – 5:00 # "Fermanagh Highland/Donegal Highland/John Doherty's/King George IV" – 4:06 # "An Mhaighdean Mhara" – 2:52 # "Andy de Jarlis/Ingonish/Mrs. McGhee" – 3:34 # "Humours of Andytown/Kylebrack Rambler/The Gladstone" – 3:15 # "

Dúlamán "Dúlamán" (Irish for " channel wrack", a type of edible seaweed) is an Irish folk song. The lyrics of the song relate to the Irish practice of gathering seaweed, which has been done for various purposes, including as fertilizer, bathing, and ...

" – 3:42 # "Mazurka" – 2:42 # "The Jug of Punch" – 3:29 # "Glory Reel/The Heathery Cruach" – 2:54 # "An Cailín Gaelach" – 3:24 # "Drumnagarry/Pirrie Wirrie/Big John's" – 3:29 # "Aingeal an Oileáin (Island Angel)" – 3:40 All titles are traditional except the following: *"The Windmill Reel" – composed by Ciaran Tourish *"Angeal An Oileáin/Island Angel" – composed by

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (; born 26 July 1959) is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish folk music band Altan, which she co-founded with her late husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987. Today, Mairéad is recognised as a leading exponent ...

*"Humours of Andytown" – composed by

*"Fintan McManus's Reel" – composed by Fintan McManus *"The Kylebrack Rambler" – composed by Finbar Dwyer *"Andy de Jarlis/Ingonish/Mrs. McGhee" – composed by Mike McDougall Se
tune identifications for this album at irishtune.info

Personnel

Altan

–

Fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

–

Flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

low whistle The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Make ...

, vocals (backing) *Ciaran Tourish – Fiddle, whistle, vocals (backing) *Ciarán Curran –

Bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

, bouzouki-

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Mark Kelly –

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, vocals (backing) *

Dáithí Sproule Dáithí Sproule (born 23 May 1950) is a guitarist and singer of traditional Irish music. He is the grandson of Frank Carney and uncle of singer Claire Sproule. Biography Born and raised in Derry, Northern Ireland, at the age of 18 he moved t ...

– Guitar, vocals (backing)

Guest musicians

*Dermot Byrne –

Accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

(tracks 1,6,8) *

Steve Cooney Stephen Cooney is an Australian-Irish musician. Early life Cooney was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, where he learned to play the didgeridoo, and from the age of seventeen he played in a number of rock bands. He is of Irish ancestry. ...

– Bass (tracks 7,9) *Tommy Hayes –

Percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

(tracks 7,9,10,12) *

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays left-handed guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozai ...

–

Bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'' or ''bodhráns'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or othe ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, bouzouki (tracks 1,2,4,7,9,13) *Neil Martin –

Cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

(track 2) *Anna Ní Mhaonaigh – Vocals (backing) (track 7)

Production

*Brian Masterson and Altan – Producer *Brian Masterson – Engineer *Alister McMillan – Assistant Engineer *Colm Henry – Photography * Ross Wilson – Cover Image *Brian Wittman/Wittman Design – Design

References

Notes {{Authority control Altan (band) albums 1993 albums