Karen Marshalsay – Eadarainn A’ Chruit: Between Us The Harp (Cramasie Records, 2025)
Scottish harper Karen Marshalsay released her brilliant second album, Eadarainn A’ Chruit: Between Us The Harp, last year.
The lovely, exceptional, and moving album follows 2019’s The Road To Kennacraig and highlights Marshalsay’s marvelous use of three Scottish harp traditions: modern lever harp, wire harp, and bray harp. Her selection combines traditional tunes and songs with new compositions written in a trad style.
Guest artists include Irish singer, flute player, and whistle player Cathal McConnell; Scottish harper Alison Kinnaird; and piper and Gaelic singer Allan MacDonald. McConnell contributes a previously unrecorded version of “The Valley Of Knockanure,” while Kinnaird joins Marshalsay on bray harp for “MacDonnell’s March.”
Marshalsay also plays whistle on “Leaving Bellevue” and makes her recorded vocal debut on “Uamh An Òir (Cave Of Gold),” a duet with MacDonald. Elsewhere, the Cathal McConnell Trio, featuring fiddler-violist Kathryn Nicoll, performs “The Gates Of The Yellow Town” and “The Eagle’s Whistle” set.
The album includes arrangements related to Robert Burns, among them “Rory Dall’s Port,” the melody Burns first selected for “Ae Fond Kiss.” Marshalsay’s original tunes include dedications to family, animals, and her move from Edinburgh to the East Neuk of Fife.
Eadarainn A’ Chruit was recorded at Gran House’s studio in the Clyde Valley. Angus Lyon engineered and co-produced the album.
Karen Marshalsay shared: “Having recorded a solo album in The Road to Kennacraig, I wanted the second one to reinforce the musical partnerships that have been such an important part of my musical journey. I’ve always enjoyed playing with Alison, Allan, Cathal and Kathryn, as well as playing solo concerts, and their contributions enrich the music on the album just as their friendship and musicality have enriched my experience.”
Author: Ryan Emmert
