"Labour of love" is written all over this magnificent production. McNamara, a Clare photographer, accordion and concertina player, took his own sweet time before committing himself to the laser, and The House That I Was Reared In bears the mark of his quietude. To its stunning visuals and thoughtful sleeve notes McNamara adds 17 sets of tunes, his robust style tempered by a reflective quality that breathes fresh air into old and new music alike. One of his own, The Maid's Lake, whispers of a player with one foot firmly in the past and the other in the future. Judicious accompaniment from Martin Hayes, Dennis Cahill, Liam Lewis and Eamon Cotter serves McNamara well, and an occasional ragged edge only further adds to the spice. www.christymcnamara.com   SIOBHÁN LONG

Flatirons normally conjure images of New York architecture, but in the case of Eliot Grasso it's a sidelong reference to the uilleann pipes, the Baltimore native's chosen instrument. Technically pristine, with enough fire in its belly to propel a steamship, Flatirons is a remarkably focused collection from a player whose earliest memories barely stretch to the mid-1980s. Grasso achieves a startling depth, consistency and clarity of tone, particularly on the slow air The Green Fields of Canada, and his confidence as a composer is formidable, as he pairs Brendan Mulvihill's Jig with his own tune, The Trip to Belfast. Admittedly, at times a certain surgical precision threatens to overwhelm Grasso's energy, but it's nothing that a few more years in decent session company won't cure. www.pipers.ie   SIOBHÁN LONG