Far From the Shamrock Shore: The Irish-American Experience in Song

Mick Moloney was born in Limerick, Ireland, but makes his home in the U.S. As on 1995's Out of Ireland, his subject is the Irish in America, specifically how generations of desperate immigrants took ship, made landfall, struggled for their livelihoods, and, finally, achieved economic and social parity. He is a convincing storyteller, inhabiting the lives of railroad laborers, sailors, Civil War volunteers, and separated lovers. Backup singers Beverley Smith and Saul Broudy perform with rare empathy and grace. Fiddler Eileen Ivers, late of Riverdance, is rich toned and idiomatic, but Bruce Molsky and Marie Reilly are also remarkably fine players. Standouts include an affecting version of "Skibereen," a famine-era dirge describing the deliberate, relentless starvation of an entire village. And on "Sweet King Williamstown," a lad from steerage survives the sinking of the Titanic only to meet his fate during World War I. The accompanying book is sold separately. --Christina Roden