Nancy Bhán is the long-awaited CD from Connemara country and western singer Beairtle Ó Domhnaill. Beairtle is a native of Foirnis in Leitir Mealláin, Co. Galway and is a very well-known singer in Connemara and in the west of Ireland. He performs regularly with the band Ceann Gólaim and his legions of fans have been crying out for a new album for some time now as his last solo album,Summer-time in Ireland, was released in 1993. Nancy Bhán has twenty tracks in total, with songs in English and Irish. The album has a strong Connemara flavour, with many of the songs honouring well-known local figures such as the boxer John Mannion from Ros Muc and the sailor Pádraic Dharach from Garumna. The strong tradition of boat-building is also represented in songs such as “An Mary Ann” and “Púcán Mhicil Pháidín”. Other songs on the album include the popular favourite “Nancy Bhán”, “Amhrán Tom Deairbe”, which honours the memory of sailor Tom Deairbe, and “I m’fhear óg i Ros an Mhíl”, which describes an emigrant’s longing for home.
The songs on the album are in the Connemara country and western style made popular by singers like Beairtle and John Beag Ó Flatharta. This style is sometimes known as country and Irish, where traditional songs are performed in a country and western style. Accompaniment on the album is provided by Dympna Carroll on backing vocals, and musicians Mick Conneely, Eugene Kelly, Ger Fahy and Eugene Killeen.
