Fintan Valleley (flute player, singer, songwriter, music journalist etc. etc.) has just edited and published a new guide under the title "The Companion to Irish Traditional Music". Published by Cork University Press (ISBN 185918-1481)at £25 (Irish).

Anyone with an interest in the music and song MUST have a copy of this monumental (450 pages or so) tome. The contributors are all experts in the field and the coverage is vast. Sure - there are people muttering about who's left out and who's left in - this is Ireland after all! Despite some problems and idiosyncracies, this will be the standard reference until someone else has the patience and dedication to replace it.

Regards