Seamus McGuire with Steve Cooney: An Irish Viola review – A joyous collection

The well-deep tones of the viola have never previously anchored an album of traditional music, and Seamus McGuire’s decision to shine a spotlight on this mellowest of instruments is very welcome.

The Sligo musician approaches his project in a richly pensive, considered manner, and his inspirational choice of Steve Cooney as partner further elevates a collection that promises to insinuate itself into the belly of the tradition over the coming years.

McGuire’s own composition, The Dreamer’s Reel, is a beautiful opener, its unhurried yet searching tone evocative of the lockdown isolation in which it was composed. Cooney’s quintessentially delicate finger picking sets the scene for McGuire’s gorgeous take on the Napoloenic song/air, The Bonny Bunch of Roses, a cap doffing to the late Joe Burke.

McGuire's attention to detail is meticulous and his tune choices suggest a genetic predisposition to the viola, though most would be associated with the fiddle. Sligo and Clare tunes glisten beneath the welcome weight of the viola and Paddy Fahy and Lad O'Beirne tunes ebb and flow with consummate ease.

A joyous and redemptive collection.