The Weaving is an Ango-Irish trio of accordion, voice, fiddle and piano. The voice belongs to Méabh Begley, from Kerry’s prominent musical family – she sings one of her father Séamus Begley’s songs, “Dán Lae Breithe”, further in this superb debut set of 12 songs and tunes. Cáit Ní Riain from Tipperary is on piano, and the fiddle player is Leeds-born Owen Spafford, of the acclaimed British folk-ambient duo Spafford Campbell, whose second album, Tomorrow Held, on Real World, was my album of the year in 2025.
Owen Spafford describes Warp and Weft (Dlúth & Inneach) as “a cultural exchange between West Kerry, Leeds and Tipperary”. As such it draws its juices not only from the rich musical wellspring of the West Kerry Gaeltacht, where they first started playing together, but from Spafford’s Yorkshire playing traditions too, and the music Cáit Ní Riain heard growing up in the Jim of the Mills pub in Tipperary. Their local musical identities combine and forge new ones out of the warp and weft of England and Ireland’s long, complex relationships.
The warp and weft of the title sums up their music and method. Owen Spafford explains: “In traditional weaving, Warp is the vertical thread which interlaces with Weft (the horizontal thread) to create the structure of the cloth. This point of meeting is what interests us, the tension between the two strands is what binds the cloth together and creates the texture that makes each tapestry unique.”
Begley’s unadorned, perfectly set vocals on the likes of “The Flower of Sweet Strabane” is an album highlight, while her mouth-music for the jig “Young Tom Ellis” is gently hypnotic.
I’d seen them perform early on in their weaving, at the Hammersmith Irish Centre in 2024, and they’re playing Hackney Folk Club on 19 February, a good place to find yourself if you want to hear the trio’s magical tapestry fill the air.
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