Album Notes

There is an old Irish phrase used to refer to a loved-one: 'Ó cuisle geal mo chroí'. It means 'Oh bright pulse of my heart'. This phrase is the inspiration behind Ciara Considine's debut album.

The songs emerge from the wealth and beauty of Irish culture and speak of love and loss, against the harsh back-drop of Ireland's historical famines, poverty and emigration. The songs were shared in the true folk tradition - around the kitchen table, by the hearth of the home, amid the jigs and reels - and passed down through the generations.

Previously a classical concert-pianist, Ciara Considine took a trip back to her roots in making this album, intriguing listeners with her untrained talent at Irish folk singing. She taught herself the celtic harp in just 4 months until she was ready to go into the studio to sing and record all the instruments on the album - harps, flutes, bodhrán, harpsichord and piano. It all started as something she wanted to do for her neice and nephews who were curious about their Irish heritage, but the album is attracting growing interest within the UK, Ireland and the USA. There is nothing commercialized about this album: produced independently, it bears the hall-mark of a sincere recording that reaches into the hearth of a home.