Máire Ní Chathasaigh & Chris Newman
”Brilliant, innovative harping and guitar-playing of astonishing virtuosity and versatility” * * * * SONGLINES
“Virtuosic, fascinating, dramatic, original, inspired, gloriously adventurous, dazzling, brilliant, stunning, impassioned, electrifying, bewitching, moving, achingly beautiful, influential, revered, unique...”
- THE TIMES, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, THE GUARDIAN, THE IRISH TIMES, THE SCOTSMAN, fROOTS...
“One of the UK’s most extraordinary and influential acoustic guitarists” (fROOTS) in concert with “the doyenne of Irish harpers” (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY), "an absolute legend" (THE IRISH ECHO) and 2001 recipient of the prestigious Irish Traditional Musician of the Year Award (Gradam Ceoil TG4). Watch Máire's performance with Chris at the Gradam Ceoil TG4 awards ceremony here.
“An eclecticism and spirit of adventure that is quite thrilling” THE TIMES (UK) “Dazzling virtuosity” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (UK) "Sublime" SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Australia) “Chris is amazing... one of our greatest musicians” BBC RADIO 2 (UK) “In a class of their own” THE GUARDIAN (UK) “Music of fire and brilliance from the high-wire act in traditional music” * * * * THE IRISH TIMES “Remarquables de virtuosité et de grâce” TRAD Magazine (France) "The mood is ever changing - sometimes haunting, sometimes boisterous but always magical. The pair's imaginations know no bounds" THE BRISBANE COURIER-MAIL (Australia) "Blazing guitar and dancing harp" DIRTY LINEN (USA) "A master class in modern Irish music" FOLKWORLD (Germany) “Their stagecraft was masterly and their introductions informative and funny” THE CHRISTCHURCH PRESS (New Zealand) “Their blinding technique, sizzling Irish reels and hot jazz improvisation brought an extended standing ovation... Newman has the great gift of being informative and hilarious simultaneously” THE WEST AUSTRALIAN “This celebrated duo took the place by storm. Stately Carolan tunes, jazzy Django-ish numbers, dazzling Doc Watson style flat picking fliers, driving Irish dance tunes - this pair can nonchalantly do the lot. Guitar players applauded and went sadly home to burn their instruments!” THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH (Ireland)
RE-RELEASE OF ICONIC HARP ALBUM
"An intensely passionate and intelligent record... a masterpiece of virtuosity... a milestone in Irish harp music" CORK EVENING ECHO (Ireland)
"A classic exercise in music-making"
THE SCOTSMAN
"Exquisite... exhilarating harp virtuosity... an undoubted classic" THE IRISH PRESS"
"Sublime... Máire is an absolute legend" THE IRISH ECHO
The New Strung Harp, Máire's ground-breaking solo album, is of historical significance as the first harp album ever to concentrate on traditional Irish dance music, but also features songs in English and Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and pieces from the 17th- and 18th-century Irish harp tradition.
It was first released in 1985 by Scotland-based Temple Records. Before his death in 2021, Robin Morton, the owner of Temple Records, wound up the company and very kindly gifted Máire the rights to the recording. The New Strung Harp has therefore been digitally remastered, given a new cover and artwork, and re-released by Old Bridge Music as OBMCD25.
Listen to it on Spotify here.
Further information and purchase links are here.
TG4 TV DOCUMENTARY
A documentary about Máire and her sister Nollaig (also featuring their sister Mairéad, together with Chris, and Nollaig's late husband Arty McGlynn) was broadcast on TG4 as part of its 'Sé mo Laoch series. (TG4 is Ireland's national Irish-language TV station.) You can watch it on the TG4 Player here.
You don't need to speak Irish to enjoy watching the programme: just remember to enable the subtitles. When you click on the link above, you'll see three buttons at the bottom of the picture on the right hand side. The first is 'Subtitles', the second is 'Picture-in-Picture' and the third is 'Fullscreen'. Just click on the 'Subtitles' button and choose "English".
'BREAKING BACH' ALBUM FROM CHRIS
* * * * THE SCOTSMAN * * * * * FOLK WALES
* * * * RnR MAGAZINE * * * * SPIRAL EARTH
* * * * 5PLANÈTES
Album of the Week, RTÉ Lyric FM
Breaking Bach, Chris's solo album of his arrangements for steel-strung flatpicked guitar of sonatas and partitas written by JS Bach for solo instruments is quite ground-breaking - a recording of this music on steel-strung flatpicked guitar has not previously been attempted.
Buy it on our Old Bridge Music website or on iTunes,
"A magnificent tour-de-force... a toweringly impressive achievement" THE LIVING TRADITION
Further information and reviews here.
Read Interviews & articles re Breaking Bach
Watch interviews re Breaking Bach
Listen to extracts on this sampler - or on iTunes.
CONCERT SCHEDULE AUTUMN 2024
Chris and Máire are now recovering after a wonderful tour in the USA and a fantastic trip to Germany and are looking forward to a sold-out Christmas concert in Lancashire, England! They were delighted to receive lovely concert reviews from two German newspapers:
"Simply magnificent... Exceptional talent... With superb technique and a great deal of feeling, [Chris] almost tore the audience out of their seats and received thunderous applause... A pre-Christmas feast of music" RHEINPFALZ (print edition), Friday 8 November, 2024
"String magic of a special kind... a perfect duet... extraordinary." PFORZHEIMER ZEITUNG, Thursday 7 November, 2024
Click here for full tour details.
MAGAZINE COVER FEATURE
Chris and Máire on the front cover of The Living Tradition magazine.
The magazine features an interview with them too. Click here to read it.
NEW ED. OF 'THE IRISH HARPER' VOL. 2
The Irish Harper Volume Two: 24 Pieces by Turlough O’Carolan Arranged for the Irish Harp by Máire Ní Chathasaigh was first published by Old Bridge Music in 2001. It has been amended, updated and given a new cover for the Second Edition. More information and purchase links here.
The book contains original arrangements of 24 of Carolan's beautiful tunes (with suggested fingering), a brief biography of Carolan, historical notes on the pieces and performance guidance. Suitable for intermediate to advanced players.
LISTEN
Listen to them play 'Reel for a Water Diviner' (composed by Máire) from their CD FireWire:
Listen to them play 'A Sore Point' (composed by Chris) from their live CD Live in the Highlands:
Listen to them play 'Stroll On' (composed by Chris) from their live CD Live in the Highlands:
Listen to them play Maurice O'Connor, George Brabazon & The Crooked Road live on KALW (California) Radio's Folk Music & Beyond:
WATCH
Duo performances
- at Máire's Gradam Ceoil TG4 TV award ceremony, Cork Opera House, Ireland
- at Port Fairy Folk Festival
More video & TV clips here
Solo YouTube videos from Chris
YouTube videos of Chris flatpicking three parts of J.S. Bach's Partita No 3 (which don't feature on Breaking Bach!):
Chris playing Preludio, Partita 3
Chris playing Gigue, Partita 3
Chris playing Bourée, Partita 3
Chris duetting with other guitarists
ALBUMS & DISCOGRAPHY
Chris and Máire have made
- seven duo albums
- six solo albums
- two quartet albums with Nollaig Casey & Arty McGlynn as the Heartstring Quartet)
- one trio album (Máire with her sisters Nollaig and Mairéad as The Casey Sisters).
Full information and links here.
READ & WATCH INTERVIEWS
Recent interviews with Máire
An interview with Máire in the Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, USA, 23 March, 2023.
An interview with Máire in The Irish News, Belfast's daily newspaper, 22 July, 2022.
An interview with Máire in The Echo, Cork's daily newspaper, on 14 September, 2022.
Read recent interviews with Chris
An article about Chris and Breaking Bach in Akustik Gitarre (Germany), September 2022.
An interview with Chris in RnR, Jan/Feb 2022.
Watch YouTube interviews with Chris
- by Italian guitarist Roberto Dalla Vecchia, September 22, 2022
