Órla Fallon

When I was a kid, Carmel Quinn and The Clancy Brothers were just about the only Irish voices heard on these shores. Later, they were joined by The Chieftains and a handful of other roisterers and/or purveyors of sentimental airs likely to bring a tear to the eyes of those who’d imbibed a little too much Jameson. By the late-’70s, Irish bands proliferated, and the later success of Riverdance spawned dozens more. So, for people with names like mine, required by law to listen to at least half of all the music coming out of Ireland, the burden became pretty heavy. The group, Celtic Woman, was in the forefront of that gusher of post-Riverdance music, and Órla Fallon was part of that musical company. There are Irish bands I like much better, but Ms. Fallon has a terrific voice, even if sometimes the song selection and the treatment are Gaelic schlock. Much of the music on My Land is for visitors to Ireland who would rather not stray too far from their hotels, but her version of “Mo Ghile Mear” is surely as good as any, and better than most.