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MÁIRE NÍ CHATHASAIGH & CHRIS NEWMAN Firewire Old Bridge Music ****

Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman's Firewire takes one of the most effete instruments in traditional music by the scruff of the neck, bends it, stretches it and breathes a fire into its belly. Newman colours and shades where Ní Chathasaigh forges pathways less travelled. The opening trio of tunes is headlined by Pheasant Feathers and bookended by Bright Falls the Air, one of Chris's originals, that doesn't so much marry as indelibly meld harp and guitar. The pair's hospitality roams free on Big Sciota, with Cathy Fink's banjo making a surprisingly subtle compadre to Ní Chathasaigh's harp. Ní Chathasaigh's sister Nollaig Casey guests with her trademark finesse on a Cuban-heeled The Lost Summer, and while Máire's spare vocals are less convincing, Firewire is a complex world that straddles traditions with grace and just a tincture of danger. www.oldbridgemusic.com Siobhan Long