Donal Clancy was born in 1975 and spent his early childhood in Canada and the US before moving to Waterford , Ireland when he was just 8 years old. His father is Liam Clancy, of Clancy Brothers fame, a group whose rousing ballads and chunky Aran sweaters had such a massive impact on the folk revival scene in New York during the 1950s.
Clancy junior, aside from occasionally performing with The Clancy Brothers, is a founder member of the highly regarded group Danú . Over the years he has also played with some of the top names on the traditional folk music circuit including Cherish The Ladies, The Eileen Ivers Band and Solas.
While Liam Clancy is a larger than life figure, as can be witnessed in his contribution to Martin Scorcese's Dylan documentary 'No Direction Home', his son seems to have a quieter disposition. Certainly there's no playing to the gallery on 'Close To Home', which is his first solo record.
The album is ,as its subtitle succinctly tells us, "a collection of Irish tunes played on acoustic guitar" and an intimate, no frills approach to the recording is maintained throughout. This is a wise move as it means that there's nothing to distract the listener from marvelling at Donal Clancy's considerable finger-picking skills. On only one track - 'Repeal of the Union' - do we hear any other instrument and even here these are only fairly unobtrusive drones (played by David Power).
The 12 arrangements are expertly sequenced so there's an easy going flow to the album, with reels and jigs interspersed with slow airs. Such is the versatility of Clancy's playing, it's easy to forget that these are all traditional tunes written for other instruments like the fiddle, harp and pipes.
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Most tracks are medleys and one of the finest links 'Bill Malley's Barndance' with a slow air - 'Séan ó Duibhir Á Ghleanner' - a tune which Clancy first learned from his headmaster at primary school. Also included is a delicate tune Liam Clancy taught him one Christmas day called The Dark Slender Boy.
The album is quite obviously a labour of love and shows that, although Donal Clancy now lives in New York, he retains an unbreakable bond with his Celtic connections. In the sleeve notes, Clancy describes the sources as well as the associations linking the music to people and places. The deep felt affection for these tunes shines through making it the album both a celebration of traditional folk and a respectful homage to a young man's cultural roots - "this", Donal Clancy says, is the record I've always wanted to make".
My personal taste for a rougher edged sound means that at times I find the album a little too clean and controlled; but there's no denying that Donal Clancy is an immensely gifted guitarist and any lover of traditional folk will treasure the recordings captured here.
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