"This young concertina star from Clare has taken his time before releasing a debut CD, and it's paid off. Bye A While shows maturity and style as well as virtuoso talent. The foibles of this fiddly instrument are usually apparent even in the hands of a master, but the opening Barbara Needham's and the great Christy Barry's Jig are well past before the concertina is allowed to constrain Pádraig Rynne's music. Not many players can achieve that. Even if you've come across Pádraig before as part of Cían or other groups, you can't fail to be impressed by his performance here. Molloy's and The Palm Tree flow from his fingers. Paddy Fahy's Jig, learnt from the man himself, fairly dances along. Pádraig's talent is broad enough to encompass the wonderful bouncy Fusco from Galician band Berroguetto, the hypnotic Plevin by Brittany's Soig Siberil, and a couple of other glorious oddities. Amongst tunes by several great composers, he sneaks in a very decent jig of his own which provides the album's title.

Pádraig has surrounded himself with some great session musicians on this recording. John McSherry plays angelic whistles and demonic pipes, John Jo Kelly beats all kinds of magic out of a goatskin. Tóla Custy and Mirella Murray add their duo skills to the party, and the foundations are laid by Arty McGlynn and Paul McSherry on guitars, amongst others. The slow reels The Old Bush and The Swallow's Tail are a definite highlight, with plenty of space for tune and accompaniment. The New Century Hornpipe and the one that comes after it are a rare treat too, as is the set of reels which ends this album. If you can't find Bye A While locally, I'd say a visit to www.padraigrynne.com is in order."

Irish Music Magazine, March 2006

"I first heard Pádraig Rynne in 1998 and was immediately taken with his vigourous, yet subtle musicianship, and his mastery of his chosen instrument. Pádraig is of open mind musically, and this is reflected with integrity and style, on this long awaited debut album, which includes some of the best musicians in this country today. Enjoy."

Brendan O'Regan, June 2005

"One of the freshest sounds in Irish music."

Folkroots Magazine, 2005

"This is top class music. Pádraig is a young concertina player from County Clare, but he's a vastly experienced one. He has gathered a group of similarly experienced friends to make a recording of mostly Irish music, with a sprinkling of Breton and Galician. The friends include Arty McGlynn, Mirella Murray, John Jo Kelly, John McSherry and Donal O'Connor, so you can see the respect with which Pádraig is regarded."

Claddagh Records, October 2005

"Jigs to go! And we do, at a nice pace with clean clear playing. There is a strong supporting line-up on this debut CD and that generally hints at a player respected by his peers and a guy folk just want to play along with."

All Celtic Music, 2005

"First there was Turas. It was a long time ago, a group of unknown but talented young men, with amongst them an outstanding concertina player... A very young Pádraig Rynne.

A couple of years later, Cian emerged. More modern and catchy and once again the public discovered Pádraig Rynne, concertina player amongst the best of his generation. This was in 1999.

Here we are in 2005 with this youths work of art finished. Like Niall Vallely and Mícheál O'Raghallaigh, two-masters on their subjects, Pádraig Rynne recorded one of the most beautiful CDs on concertina. Long awaited by his fans, the CD is self-produced, recorded with some of his friends like Tóla Custy, Mirella Murray, John Joe Kelly, and the appearance of John McSherry. Accompanied by Kevin Dorris playing bouzouki, Paul McSherry and Arty McGlynn playing guitar.

If you were an unconditional fan of Cian but frustrated by the intrusion of the keyboard, then in Padráig's CD the alchemy is a dream come true. The repetoir, principally trad, is highlighted by original arrangement, giving a little tribute to The Bothy Band with The Fisherstreet jig! Padraig Rynne explores Irish music with a sensitivity and a taste as good as his fabulous variations and whoever had the privilege to be at his concerts, knows what this magician of a Concertina player is able to do..."

Anne Girard - Trad Magazine France, 2005
French version on: www.tradmagazine.com

"October 2005 release of a CD by another of Co. Clare's young crop of fine young concertina players. Lissycasey-native, Pádraig, has made a huge impact latterly with his band, Cian, and his debut solo album has been eagerly awaited."

Custy's Music, 2005

"A former member of the band Cian, Padraig Rynne is a high-power concertina player whose choice of material and arrangements set him firmly among the modernists. So one shouldn't be surprised to find quite a few new compositions as well as a smattering of Breton and Galician tunes on the album. Nor will the list of guest musicians, a who's who of the "fast and the furious" of today, leave any doubt about the approach to music, generally full steam ahead with high-wire virtuosic detours. Rynne is capable of a mellower groove, as on the "Old Bush" track of slow reels--but one whishes the accompanist would have followed suit with less adventurous harmonies. But it's all so well played that it's hard to resist. A guilty pleasure to be sure.
**** 4 stars."

Celtic Grooves, 2006

"Pádraig Rynne from County Clare is one of the finest concertina players in the Irish music scene. He started his career with the band Turas when he was seventeen and joined in 1998 another Irish band, Cían. Since he left Cían in 2001 he has worked with some of the best traditional musicians like John McSherry and At First Light, John Joe Kelly and Flook, Paul Meehan (Lunasa, Karan Casey Band, North Cregg) and fiddle maker Paul Bradley. I saw him live in 2004 with Rogaire Dubh (see my review in issue 28 from April 2004) and I was very pleased to receive his first solo CD "Bye a while" for reviewing.

Pádraig Rynne wrote the title track "Bye a while" and named it after a favourite saying of his father. He has been joined by a bunch of brilliant guest musicians; some of them long time musical partners from the At First Light/Flook connection. The album is composed of nine traditional and contemporary Irish tunes - jigs, slip-jigs, reels, slow reels, hornpipes - as well as two Breton instrumental tracks.

The first set of jigs "Barbara Needham's/Christy Barry's/Bye a while" starts with a brilliant duo with Rynne on concertina and John McSherry on the uilleann pipes. Another great playing together with McSherry on low whistle and pipes can be heard on the beautiful Breton "Dans Loudieg". But the concertina also matches very well with Mirella Murray's piano accordion on the reels "Not Safe with a Razor/The Palm Tree/Jimmy's Return". The Galician/Breton set "Fusco/Plevin" is a perfect showcase for Murray's musical partner Tóla Custy on fiddle and John Joe Kelly on bodhrán. Arty McGlynn and Paul McSherry add their excellent guitar playing throughout the album and thus together with Kevin Dorris on bouzouki and Kelly on bodhrán they guarantee the breathtaking rhythms. I also love Rynne's playing on the slow reels "The Old Bush/The Swallow's Tail" and Dónal O'Connor's keyboards on the jig/slip-jig/reel set "Fisherstreet/The Wingflapper/The Céilíer".

The CD is a wonderful sample of Irish music brought forward by some of the finest traditional musicians of the Irish music scene."

Adolf "Gorhand" Goirup
FolkWorld - Issue 32 - 12/2006
Source: www.folkworld.de

"This is a wonderful album from Padraig Rynne in which he has chosen a unique mix of music to show off his great talent with the concertina."

Folk Radio UK

Also, visit my MySpace page and leave a comment! Thanks, Pádraig.

^...Back to Top