On our last trip to England, when we did a tour of the Southern folk clubs, it so happened that the CD player in my car had packed in. Cathal, having come as usual armed with a motley selection of music in a polythene bag, was slightly disappointed, but I was in my element. Hours and hours of live singing, whistle playing and time-beguiling storytelling and conversation. It was during this trip that we met up with two acquaintances of mine, Vic and Tina Smith, from my early days on the Sussex folk scene. Cathal and I played at their club in Lewes on a hot, balmy, early September evening. What made the visit especially memorable for us, apart from the heart warming reception, was hearing Vic & Tina’s dance band playing some rare and delightful tunes that they had dug out of the local archives. Honest, simple and unpretentious, the way that Cathal and I have come to appreciate it.


Wherever I go with Cathal I am struck by the number of people he knows. I am also struck by the affection they appear to have for him. In Ireland there are those that regard him as a member of their own family – John and Valerie McManus, Cyril and Mary Maguire, Catherine and Brian McLaughlin – all have given Cathal their unstinting support over the years, and his loyalty to them is equally unswerving. For my part, I’ve always found Cathal a really easy guy to get along with. I’d like to think we have a very


‘... It should not be underestimated how many tunes and songs he has brought to the fore within the tradition. Literally hundreds.”


positive and productive musical relationship – one based on trust and mutual respect, not on rivalry or self-defeating one-upmanship. Whether we are working in the recording studio (a tense place at the best of times) or the concert platform, we are always fully aware of what we can expect from one another. One should never feel the need to compete with someone like Cathal because, without even trying, or without necessarily wishing to, he would invariably come out on top.


To play with him and not against him is the way to achieve the best results. What you will get from Cathal, provided you play by the rules, is complete dedication and cooperation, a testament to his sheer professionalism. Often I have seen him take a back seat at an ego-frenzied session, where he assumes the guise of a bemused and patient spectator, but when the chips are down Cathal will pull out all the stops and come up trumps brilliantly, especially on stage. It is here that he feels most at home, regardless of the size. As a rule we tend to avoid set lists when we are performing, preferring, as it were, to ‘play it by


ear’ and rely on audience reaction as a guide to proceedings. We just like that sense of spontaneity. Usually I have a vague idea where things are going but occasionally, with a wink in the right direction, I will veer away from the norm and jump into a tune or a tempo that will catch Cathal completely unawares…although only for a split second, for in no time at all he’s there, as solid as a rock, underpinning perfectly and improvising harmonies with astounding sensitivity and precision.


Recently we’ve been doing a lot of work with Dave Swarbrick, that other indomitable master of invention, and interacting with the pair of them is an experience I cannot easily describe in words. I marvel at their musical maturity, gleaned of course through decades of experience, and their sense of commitment to whatever project they have in hand. Endlessly patient, endlessly diplomatic, endlessly talented – and not a word from either of them about the incalculable contribution they have both made to the world of folk music over the last 45 years.


Cathal’s repertoire of music is, of course, vast, and luckily he has the memory to cope with it. Even tunes and songs that have lain dormant for years in the darkest recesses of his crowded brain can be conjured up almost at the drop of a hat. It should not be underestimated how many tunes and songs he has brought to the fore within the tradition. Literally hundreds. A glance at his discography puts this in perspective – more than 25 recorded albums to date, as well as a five-hour audio DVD of unaccompanied singing in association with a recently published book of his songs.


Lately I have seen a bit of a renaissance taking place in Cathal’s life, signalling perhaps a slow return to the place where it all started for him – around the fireside with a few friends, or in the intimate surroundings of a little folk club where he can more readily communicate with the people that have come to hear him sing and play. Maybe it’s an age thing, but increasingly I’m aware of how much he yearns for that simple life, devoid of the trappings of celebrity and media attention. Ironically, the last few years have seen him bestowed with copious overdue musical awards, but, grateful though he is to receive them, his attention still remains well and truly focused on what he can quietly and modestly turn his mind to in the future. One thing is for sure, there is still a lot more music to come.


The Living Tradition - Page 37


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