Ensemble Ériu
Ensemble Ériu, a septet led by Jack Talty and Neil Loclainn draw on a wealth of creative sources to perform arrangements of Irish traditional music rooted in the styles of West and North County Clare. The group brings together a chamber ensemble of some of Ireland’s most exciting young musicians from a range of performance backgrounds. The result is a unique combination of the fresh and familiar, a soundscape that is creatively progressive, yet rooted in tradition.
Neil Ó Loclainn - double bass, flute, compositions/ arrangements
Jack Talty- concertinas, compositions/arrangements
Matthew Berrill - clarinets
Jeremy Spencer - fiddle
Maeve O'Hara - marimba
Patrick Groenland - guitar
Matthew Jacobson - drums
Ensemble Ériu - Imbas (2016)
“With Imbas, they assert their confidence with their windows-wide-open approach to tradition in which they dipped their toes with an impressive eponymous release in 2013”
★★★★★ fRoots
“The album really succeeds in giving space for the different musical voices and traditions which the individual group members bring to the table.”
The Journal of Music
“Cool-headed and even-handed, Ériú’s groove ultimately reigns supreme.”
★★★★ The Irish Times
“… this seven-piece ensemble make a big, bold, beautiful noise – their new album, Imbas, is a stunner”
Derek O’Connor for RTÉ Culture: ‘7 more reasons to be excited about Irish music right now’
“Imbas is an Irish word that translates as “creative inspiration”, and there’s plenty of it striking in the hands of the seven-piece band”
Release of the week – Nialler9
“Ensemble Ériu’s distinctive sound constantly express the band’s deep-rooted appreciation and love for traditional music while the band simultaneously seek to furrow new and intriguing paths in contemporary music circles.”
Mark Carry, Fractured Air
“A tightly knit ensemble of fine soloists who have plenty to say and the means to say it.”
Songlines
“On this exquisitely recorded collection, Ériu succeed where others have failed before by successfully entangling the repetition of Irish melodies with some of the tropes of contemporary, minimalist composition.”
Ian Lamont, Totally Dublin
Nominated for The Irish Times Best Traditional Album of 2016
A Featured Album of the Week on Lyric FM’s Blue of the Night.
Ensemble Ériu - Ensemble Ériu (2013)
One of the finest Irish albums of 2013”
Jim Carroll, The Irish Times
“Heart-swelling, surprising, fresh and beautiful, it’s exactly what I look for in music”
Nialler9
“They are an extraordinary band, big band, big line up, lots of instruments, lots of imagination, all sorts going on … they are something special”
John Kelly, RTÉ Lyric FM
“Absolutely captivating and enchanting stuff … very refreshing and original.”
Ellen Cranitch, RTÉ Lyric FM
“Very developed, soulful and meditative music from an impressive musical intelligence”
Tony MacMahon
"This may be an album for those who think they don't (or won't) like Irish music. Aficionados may find themselves both challenged and delighted by the resonance achieved through Ériu's well-rounded approach. The musicians are young still, but their expressiveness is colored by patience beyond their years. That, in and of itself, is something to cherish."
Tyran Grillo, Rootsworld