It was mighty

Volume 29 : It Was Mighty
Compilation album by Traditional Irish Musicians
Released	16 March 2016
Genre	Folk
Length	215
Label	Topic Records
Producer	Tony Engle & Reg Hall

"It Was Mighty!" The Early Days of Irish Music in London (TSCD679T) is the first album in the fourth series of The Voice of the People from Topic Records and comprises three CDs. The selections are taken from Topic Records back catalogue, the Peter Kennedy archive in the British Library and many private collections.

Topic records have issued compilations in the series The Voice of the People since 1998. The compilation has been selected by Dr Reg Hall who has selected all but four of the series so far. The theme of this and its companion volume, It Was Great Altogether, is the Irish music of London.

Reg Hall in the accompanying booklet defines the London-Irish as a distinct ethnic community of settled migrants and their offspring with topping up from a constant trickle of immigrants from Ireland. On this first compilation most of the musicians were raised in Ireland with a few from London, some of whom travelled to Ireland for holidays.

Reg Hall has been active in Irish music in London since the 1950s, having been invited by Michael Gorman to join his band in 1956. His involvement in documenting the phenomena continued when he co-produced Paddy in the Smoke with Bill Leader in 1968, recorded in "The Favourite" public house in Holloway, London. A number of other recordings followed as well as continuing to play in sessions around London.

A large number of the tracks selected feature him providing accompaniment on either piano or keyboard for the dance tunes.

The album consists of a cardboard case with a card CD holder for the three CDs and a booklet for the sleeve notes.

The cardboard case does not detail the tracks in the compilation but does identify all the musicians and in the brief notes explains the place of Irish music in the lives of the migrant population in the 1950s. The notes then continue to explain that this album covers the period after the 1950s up to the present day.

The booklet consists of 100 pages and follows a similar sequence to the other albums in the series. The booklet was written by Reg Hall, except where stated below.

The three CDs cover recordings made between 1948 and 2001. These recordings were made in numerous different locations including Pubs, Stores, various flats and houses, recording studios and Cecil Sharp House the headquarters of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Many of the tunes were recorded by people who were only involved with the music but also included many people from the British folk music world, such as Ewan MacColl, Peter Kennedy, Bill Leader, Robin Morton, Peter Bellamy and John Tams.

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