Cradled in the genteel surroundings of Dublin Castle's Coach House, Tony McManus and friends could hardly be expected to whoop it up as if they were ensconced in a fleadh ceol or, God forbid, in the bowels of a public house. This was traditional music in its best bib and tucker: refined, discerning and delivered with finesse born of naked talent and consummate professionalism.

Nearing the end of a 12-date tour, this quartet had evidently fallen into comfortable step with one another, swapping and trading tunes enthusiastically. Scottish guitarist Tony McManus was the headliner, but he found himself in the good company of three superb musicians with Ulster connections.

Gabriel McArdle, Fermanagh singer and fine purveyor of the concertina, played straight man to McManus's whimsical quips. Robbie Burns was duly honoured with two borrowings from his library, including My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose, delivered by McArdle with the tentative scaffold of O'Connor's impeccable fiddle, McManus's sympathetically subtle acoustic guitar, and Belfast McSherry's pipes struggled against the heat, but his remarkable dexterity and phrasing could hardly be upstaged by anything as unpredictable as climatic hiccups. This was tradition at its most courtly and courteous.