Grainne’s twin track approach
Back and Forth is the name of Gráinne Brady’s new album, set for release next week. While the two-step name conjures the image of her fiddle bow powering out a tune, for Gráinne the name signifies her relationship with Scotland where she spent her 20s.
“The tunes project is called ‘Back and Forth’ because it’s kind of a mix of Irish and Scottish influences; mostly Irish tunes, but there are some Scottish influences, and there’s Scottish musicians playing on it,” she says over a cuppa in a Cavan Town cafe. Chief among those Scottish musicians is pianist Michael Biggins, a winner of the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year.
Equally the album title could also stand for the back and forth of committing to her day job of teaching Maths and Physics at St Bricín’s College, and her commitment to pursuing music to a professional level.
Even within Gráinne’s musical life, her interest goes back and forth between trad music and songwriting. She also has an album of songs called ‘The Highest Blossom’ recorded with producer Boo Hewardine and featuring guitarist Heather Cartwright. It’s ready to go when she senses the time is right, likely early 2027.
The Loughduff woman’s headspace is fixed on the launch of her album of tunes in the coming weeks. Her third trad album, Back and Forth gives voice to her longstanding love of trad music, a passion that has expressed itself in 2019’s The Road Across the Hills and 2022’s Newcomer; both inspired by the writings of ‘The Navvy Poet’ Patrick MacGill of Donegal who also emigrated to Scotland.
Gráinne had completed a Physics degree in Dublin before setting off for Glasgow to pursue a Masters in Maths. Smitten by Glasgow’s lively traditional music scene, which she describes as a “melting pot of young musicians” fed by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s trad course. It was home for 12 years.
“It’s full of sessions. Kind of a different style to here, but it’s the same idea - traditional musicians meet up to play tunes together in an informal setting.”
Her debut album, released just before Covid wasn’t allowed the exposure it deserved. Then the pandemic saw Gráinne commit to a change of direction.
“I deceided to do the teacher training because of Covid – there were no gigs, nothing happening. It had been something I’d been thinking about for years.”
Having taught for a year in Edinburgh, Gráinne returned home in 2024. Her Glasgow ties remain strong, and she recently played Celtic Connections - folk and world music festival.
Surprisingly for a scientist she approaches music in an intuitive way.
“I’m not very technically minded when it comes to music. I’ve always learned by ear, and I picked up music theory over the years but it has always been how it sounds to me,” Gráinne says explaining that her father Gerry taught her to play at the same time as he learned himself.
“I’d always played trad but I didn’t find it very cool until I was maybe 20, and that’s when I started going to sessions.”
The experience of playing sessions in places like Cavan’s An Cruiscín Lán, run by Enda McDermott, Pat Tierney and Alan Maguire, or a weekly one in Killeshandra which she attended with her parents have had a lasting impact on her. It was at sessions like these she picked up Ed Reavey tunes, the Swans Among the Rushes and The Ireland We Knew which feature on Back and Forth.
Gráinne now runs a weekly session in Arva’s Breffni Arms Hotel on a Wednesday night.
“I wanted to get the tune album out ASAP because I’m big into playing sessions. One of my favorite things to do in the world, is sitting with friends playing tunes.
“My first two albums were all self composed and they’re quite contemporary sounding, they would be more folk whereas I wanted a trad album that showcases the stuff I do every week.”
Gráinne Brady launches Back and Forth at the Black Horse on Tuesday, February 17.