Out in Huddersfield last weekend, had an enjoyable night at the Wheel Inn at Golcar, went over to the General Ludd Folk Music night on Friday.

I had been invited over by a friend to see Kieran Halpin who was the guest singer,I had a good night,the Guinness and Jamesons flowed freely, and the music was excellent.

I had the good fortune of meeting Alistair Russel (Battlefield Band Fame) Alistair treated us to a few songs including "Never Tire Of The Road" a Woody Guthrie tribute song written by Andy Irvine, fantastic, many thanks to the organisers and musicians who made it happen, it was a great night.

Kieran Halpin is a name I know verry little about, but after seeing him play live at The Wheel Inn, and feeling the depth of the songs that he plays, I know I will certainly listen out for more, it was strange that as he sang his songs, a lot of the time I already had the words on my lips, maybe the words came to me through some form of Osmosis, maybe they seeped up through the floor, or maybe it was that I have heard some of the songs before sung by other singers that have covered his songs as a tribute to the the man.

Here are a few reviews taken from his website:

Live and Kicking (1985) - "... the lack of technical sophistication is more than compensated for by the sheer quality of both the musicianship and the songs themselves...ignore it at your peril!" - Hotpress

Crystal Ball Gazing (1989) - "In Irish contemporary songwriting we are blessed with such luminaries as Brady, Morrison and Jimmy McCarthy. It's about time that Kieran Halpin was admitted to their serried ranks. He is one of the best we've got." - Hotpress

Mission Street (1991) - "... a Van Morrison for the '90s." - Billboard

"Halpin's only claim to fame is that he is writing songs ten times more intelligent than anything you'll hear on MTV" - Sunday Press

"The songs, however, are only part of the story, Halpin, more than most, has a voice that sells the songs. It's unusual for a contemporary songwriter to sound so Irish (Christy Moore apart) and it's rare for anyone to sound so hard. This has the effect of accentuating all the emotions." - Folk Roots

"For myself and my companions it was Halpin who stole the show with an impressive selection of songs which encompassed a diverse range of topics, from the Berlin Wall to homesickness. Kieran captured our hearts with his emotive lyrics and mystic chords and is arguably one of Ireland's most underrated writers. "Too Long Away" is nothing short of sublime." - Olympia Theatre, Dublin 1990

"There is such a physical depth to Kieran's songs that many would take full rock band treatment and lose nothing of the intimacy" - Swansea Folk Club.