Backgound

Hugh and Colm Healy were born (and live to date) in the village of Corofin in Co. Clare. This area can be considered a breeding ground for traditional music, having already produced such musicians as Tony Linnane, Sharon Shannon and Padraic O’Reilly.

Macalla na hÓige is the soon to be released debut album from brothers Hugh and Colm Healy. The title translates to echoes of youth suggesting two musicians in the peak of their youth. This is certainly true with Hugh being the senior of the two at just 23 years young and Colm at 21.

The concertina/accordion combination is relatively untried in traditional Irish music. Apart from the definitive Noel Hill and Tony McMahon albums of the early nineties as well as the sounds of Charlie Piggott and Miriam Collins of the Lonely Stranded Band, these two instruments have not been concreted as complimenting duet instruments. Macalla na hÓige is a testament that traditional musical combinations are evolving.

Macalla na hÓige celebrates the Clare tradition of reels, jigs and hornpipes as well as briefly sampling the foreign influence with Pedder a Dreska and La tombe dans les pommes . In all these selections there is a clear spark to be heard. It is clear that both musicians really know what the other is doing. There is no front man with these two brothers with both playing equally and most importantly mixed equally.