Tom Dunne: I'm happy to be swept along on the new wave of trad
Lankum and The Mary Wallopers: two of the leading lights of trad nua
Not everyone is as happy with the resurgence of Irish trad music as the New York Times. It may dedicate a “long read” – the term almost feels like a health warning - to the newbies but one of my listeners was non plussed. “It was shite 50 years ago,” he said, “It’s shite now.” The band he was specifically referring to were the Mary Wallopers. However, I suspect he’d have a similar view of Lankum, Lisa O’Neill and others like Ye Vagbonds that are causing such great waves at the moment.
So, I’d better be clear. It isn’t shite now, and it wasn’t then, but I’ve been around the block long enough to know that his is not an isolated view. And I’ve been around certain circles long enough to even understand that view’s origins.
