About the Short Stories Album:

I quit my job as a corporate lawyer and moved to Manhattan in the autumn of 2006. Tired of writing legal briefs, I had been dreaming of writing short fiction and ambitiously gave myself a year to come up with a series of stories. The title of this album is, in part, a cheeky reference to the fact that I didn’t finish writing a single story that year, instead filling my days with music and playing at sessions nearly every night of the week. I have no regrets about this change in plans since many adventures and hilarious stories ensued; they just, for better or worse, remain largely unwritten.

I also arranged the album as one might arrange a collection of short stories. Each track features different characters and has a distinct feel, but there is a similar voice running through the entire project. There are several stories behind these tunes as well — both stories personal to me and those of others in our larger tradition.

- Gráinne Murphy, January 2010

The album also features a number of talented and accomplished guest musicians:

Isaac Alderson began pursuing the craft of Irish traditional music at the age of 13 in his home city of Chicago. Throughout his teenage years he had the good fortune to study with Fermanagh flute and whistle master Laurence Nugent, and took piping lessons periodically with Al Purcell, Kieran O’Hare, and Jerry O’Sullivan, among others. At the 2002 Fleadh Cheoil in Listowel, Isaac was named the All-Ireland Senior Champion on three instruments: uilleann pipes, flute and whistle. Now residing in New York, he has played throughout the northeast and across the country with a wide range of traditional and modern trad music artists.

Dónal Clancy was born in 1975 and spent most of his early childhood in Canada and the U.S. before his family settled back in An Rinn, Co. Waterford, Ireland, in 1983. He started learning traditional Irish music on the tin whistle at age eight and received his first guitar shortly after, learning some basics from his father. In 1995, Dónal co-founded the group Danú, but departed soon after to tour with his father Liam and cousin Robbie O’Connell. In 1998, he moved to the U.S. and became involved in the Irish-American music scene playing mostly with The Eileen Ivers Band and later the group Solas. In 2003, he re-joined his friends in Danú, with which group he still performs.

Anna Colliton, a Chicago native living in New York City, has an intricate and rhythmically complex style of bodhrán playing. Anna is much sought after as an accompanist, playing regularly in the New York Irish music scene and touring across the U.S. and Ireland with fiddler Tony DeMarco. Anna’s playing was recently featured on A Star in the East, the latest recording endeavor from the acclaimed Irish band Cherish the Ladies.

Marta Cook is an American harpist and composer. In 2001, she won first prize at the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, Irish music’s world championship competition. Since then she has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America. In particular, her reputation for sensitive accompaniment has led to an array of recording credits with artists from a wide variety of genres and disciplines, including Yo-Yo Ma and Natalie MacMaster. She is a sponsored artist of William Rees Instruments LLC.

Daniel Murphy, Gráinne’s brother and one of the famed Murphy twins, stole his father’s bodhrán when he was seven years old and never gave it back. Mostly self-taught, Daniel plays in the so-called Kerry style of bodhrán playing which was prevalent on many of the recordings in his parents’ music collection. His playing has featured on several recordings, including flute-player Jimmy Noonan’s The Clare Connection, the Revels North’s A Celtic Feast of Song, and with his brother Patrick and sister Gráinne on their first group album. With his siblings, he has performed across the U.S. and Ireland. Daniel is also a published poet, visual artist and political organizer.

Alan Murray began playing Irish music on the tin whistle at the age of nine in Glasgow, Scotland. By age twelve, he was playing in a céilí band for weddings and parties around Scotland. Alan later moved on to the guitar, inspired by his teenage lust for rock music. After a number of years, his traditional roots won out, and he began a serious career playing trad music on guitar and bouzouki. Since moving to New York City in 2006, he has been a fixture in the Irish music scene there and a highly sought-after accompanist.

John Redmond, hailing from Ballindaggin, Co. Wexford, is a 4-time All-Ireland winner on the button accordion. His 2001 debut solo album, East to Northeast, with guest artists Kevin Burke, Eamon O’Leary, Ged Foley and Bernie Nau, has received high praise. Currently, John serves as the Traditional Irish Musician in Residence and an adjunct lecturer of music at the CUNY Institute for Irish-American studies in New York. He also teaches accordion classes at the Woodlawn House of Irish Music. In addition to numerous other performances in and around New York, John plays at An Beal Bocht Cafe in Riverdale every Sunday from 4-7.