Runaway Sunday

Runaway Sunday
Studio album by Altan
Released	1997
Recorded	September 1996 – March 1997
Genre	Celtic
Length	46:32
Label	Virgin
Producer	Altan and Alastair McMillan
Altan chronology
Blackwater (1996) Runaway Sunday (1997) Another Sky (2000)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Runaway Sunday is the sixth studio album by Altan, released in 1997 on the Virgin Records label.

Track listing

All titles arranged by Altan.

1. "Súil Ghorm" – 2:45
2. "John Doherty's Reels" – 2:35
3. "Caidé Sin Don Té Sin?" – 3:13
4. "Germans" – 3:13 (barn dances)
5. "Clan Ranald/J.B.'s Reel/Paddy Mac's Reel/Kitty Sheáin's" – 4:17
6. "I Wish My Love Was a Red Red Rose" – 3:50
7. "Mazurka" – 2:29
8. "Australian Waters" – 3:27
9. "A Moment in Time" – 3:17
10. "Ciarán's Capers" – 3:29
11. "Cití Ní Eadhra" – 3:06
12. "Flood in the Holm/Scots Mary/The Dancer's Denial" – 3:52
13. "Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair" – 3:27
14. "Time Has Passed" – 3:32

All titles are traditional, with the following exceptions:

• "Súil Ghorm" – composed by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
• "Time has passed" – composed by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
• "A Moment in Time" – composed by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Mark Kelly
• "The Dancer's Denial" – composed by Mark Kelly
• "Paddy Mac's Reel" – composed by Ciaran Tourish
• "Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair" – lyrics by Proinsias Ó Maonaigh

See tune identifications for this album at irishtune.info.

Live performances

Altan played live in concert the following tracks: "Súil Ghorm", "John Doherty's Reels", "Germans", "I Wish My Love Was a Red Red Rose", "Flood in the Holm/Scots Mary/The Dancer's Denial" & "Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair".

Live recordings

A live recording of "John Doherty's Reels" performed by Altan in early August 2002 at the Cambridge Folk Festival is available on the Cool as Folk 2-CD collective album. Released in 2007, this compilation includes a total of 36 live recordings from the Cambridge Folk Festival between 1999 and 2006.^[2]

Content

This album was released some three years after former co-bandleader, Frankie Kennedy, had died from cancer. He was the husband of lead singer Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. Some of the tracks appear to be a heart-breaking elegy for Frankie, notably the climaxes of the album, "Time Has Passed". "Súil Ghorm" is the first track and seems also to refer to the times Mairéad spent with Frankie.

Personnel

Altan

• Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh – Fiddle, vocals
• Ciaran Tourish – Fiddle, whistle, backing vocals
• Dermot Byrne – Accordion, melodeon
• Ciarán Curran – Bouzouki, bouzarre, mandolin, backing vocals
• Mark Kelly – Guitar, bouzouki, backing vocals
• Dáithí Sproule – Guitar, backing vocals

Guest musicians

• Stephen Cooney – Double Bass, didgeridoo
• Pat Crowley – Piano
• Jerry Douglas – Dobro
• Jimmy Higgins – Percussion
• Alison Krauss – Backing vocals
• Dónal Lunny – Keyboards, bodhrán
• Neil Martin – Cello, keyboards
• Matt Molloy – Flute

Production

• Altan and Alastair McMillan – Producer
• Alastair McMillan – Engineer
• Conan Doyle – Assistant Engineer
• Brian Masterson – Mixer
• Dave McKean/Hourglass – Photography, Design

References