I'll Sing You a StoryCranagh Music ***

Tongue twisters, nonsense verses, jingles and roguish rhymes shape and colour this rich collection of children’s songs from Armagh singer Len Graham . The songs have seeped through the tradition, hand in hand with their listeners, never deigning to condescend. Lyrically dense, the collection tickles the imagination and rattles rib cages with a welcome mischievousness.

Tales of drowning men saved by bars of sunlight soap; of errant mules and 19th-century dedicated followers of fashion stretch well beyond the confines often prescribed for younger listeners. Garry Ó Briain anchors the collection in bright mandocello and guitar, and Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin lends suitably spare accompanying vocals. Ronan Browne's pipes, whistles and flute bring further depth to the arrangements, while the impishness of Máirtín O'Connor's accordion lends a further lightness of touch to Cause He Was a Fool. A song store yielding rich pickings. storyandsong.com