Trends in music come and go and this is no less true of Irish traditional music. Today the coastline of Irish traditional  music is longer and more varied than at any time in our history. However , the acid test for any music is the test of time. The tide of fashion constantly returns to the shore of creativity, eventually washing those trends and innovations that are without substance out into the vast sea of fashion. Only the 'solid rocks' will remain.

In choosing music for this recording I have surveyed the musical coastline carefully. The scope within the music is vast. And yet I have constantly found myself returning to the great players of the past for insight and guidance. As a result the tunes on this recording are not new, nor are they old, rather, they are timeless. Playing the tunes I feel a spiritual and cultural bond with those musicians of the past. However the feeling is not one of nostalgia, nor of wanting to repeat what has gone before, but one of returning to the 'solid rocks' of Irish traditional music for inspiration.

I am accompanied on this recording by my wife Jacinta, who is a constant source of encouragement and motivation. She manages to blend a dynamic sense of rhythm with a subtle and mature feel for the phrasing of the tunes. Her deep understanding and love of the music is ably demonstrated on both guitar and piano.

John McEvoy

Special thanks to : Jacinta McEvoy, Paddy Ryan, Bobby Casey, John Kelly, Nicholas Carolan and all at the Irish Traditional Music Archive, Dave Morris and Chris Lomass at the Workshop Studio, Redditch, Brian Becker , Adrian Holden, Pete Erris, Brendan Curran, John Fitzgerald and Kathy Cleary of "Cleary's" Cheapside, Chris Stapleton, Ian Roome, Nuala Kelly and Paul Chamberlain for the liquid refreshments!

I would particularly like to thank the members of my family :-

Mum and Dad  for passing on their love of music; my sister Catherine for her generous help with musical ideas and for being an inspiration; Tom McGorman for sharing his music recordings; and finally a big thank you to Fiadhna, Patrick and Conor McEvoy for their wholehearted involvement (and positive criticisms!) in all aspects of this venture.