Sarah McQuaid: Links

Andy Manson Guitars: In January 2008 I took delivery of my beautiful new guitar, custom-made for me by Andy Manson; he calls it his “Bluebird” model. Past clients of Andy’s include such notables as John Paul Jones and Jimi Page (Led Zeppelin), Ian Anderson and Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Andy Summers (The Police) and Mike Oldfield – so I'm in good company! I’ll always have a soft spot for the beautiful old 1965 Martin D-28 that’s been my staunch friend since way back in 1988, but I have to admit that the trad tunes in particular are a revelation on the new instrument – clear as a bell, every note ringing out strong and true. It’ll take me a long time to get used to it – and for it to get used to me! – but I'm looking forward to the process.
John Pearse Strings: I’ve been using John Pearse strings for well over 20 years now, and I still think they’re a major cut above the rest. I use his 80/20 Bell Bronze set, Medium gauge – .013 to .056. Have a look at the list of endorsees on his website and you’ll see such notables as Chris Newman, James Taylor, Nanci Griffith, Si Kahn, Christine Lavin, Kathy Mattea ... and me! I’m honoured.
Gerry O’Beirne: I thank my lucky stars that I was fortunate enough to have Gerry O’Beirne as producer for When Two Lovers Meet. He has an impeccable ear and an unerring instinct for knowing what the music needs to make it perfect. He’s also a master songwriter and musician, a fiendishly good Scrabble player, a dab hand with a camera (check out the photo gallery section of his website) and one of the most fundamentally decent and lovely individuals I’ve ever had the privilege to know. To have been able to work with him was an honour and a blessing for which I’ll always be grateful.
Fovea Hex: Some months back I was asked by my esteemed friend Clodagh Simonds to do a bit of singing on an EP project of hers entitled ‘Huge’. Described in one major music magazine as a “reclusive genius” (she recludes mostly in Ranelagh), Clodagh was long, long ago a member of the legendary Irish folk-rock outfit Mellow Candle and since then has been quietly tipping away at some extremely interesting musical projects under the name Fovea Hex. Have a look at the website and check out that EP!
Dick Gaughan: Dick is a major hero of mine, for all sorts of reasons – his singing, his playing, his presence, his politics, and most of all his classic album Coppers & Brass. When I was asked to co-present a workshop on the DADGAD tuning with him at the Strandhill Guitar Festival in September 2006, I was thrilled and terrified. Despite having not taken my old Martin out of its case for over three years (owing to small children and one thing and another), I said yes (I’d never have forgiven myself if I’d said no) and spent the next several months madly re-learning how to play the guitar. In due course I found myself sitting beside him in front of an audience that consisted largely of bored-looking teenagers in Metallica T-shirts. We got through the gig and afterwards he gave me a hug and made me promise that from then on the guitar would come out of its case on a regular basis. It will. Thanks, Dick. I owe you, big time.
Luka Bloom: A true gentleman among musicians. A few years ago, he rang me up and invited me to be his support act on a short tour of various venues around Ireland. It was a brilliant opportunity and I would happily have done the gigs for free, but at the end of the tour he insisted on paying me out of his own pocket, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. To see him perform night after night was an education in stagecraft: for sheer power and authority in front of an audience, he’s hard to beat. And he writes beautiful songs, too.
Niamh Parsons: Niamh is one of my favourite singers in the world and has been a great friend to me over the years, but we’d never sung together until the day we recorded ‘The Parting Glass’ for When Two Lovers Meet. It was amazing to hear how well our very different voices worked together (click on MUSIC to hear a sample). As Niamh said on the day, “we twiddle in the same places.” Well, yeah.
Seamie O’Dowd: It was Seamie who asked me along to the aforementioned Strandhill Guitar Festival, so he was more or less directly responsible for the rekindling of my musical career, such as it is. Best known as the guitarist with Dervish, he’s also made an excellent solo album, Headful Of Echoes. To my mind, though, it doesn’t quite do him justice; to get a proper idea of the full range of his talents, you’d have to listen to the stunning instrumentals he contributed to the Masters Of The Irish Guitar compilation album – or better yet see him live. He also did a superb job of producing singer/songwriter Tony Reidy’s album A Rough Shot Of Lipstick – worth buying just to hear Seamie’s mix of acoustic and electric guitars on ‘Sean na Sagart’, a mesmerising number in 5/8 time about a local man who made his living by informing against priests back when the penal laws were in effect ....
Iarla Ó Lionáird: I was extremely nervous about singing in Irish on the When Two Lovers Meet CD, and would never have summoned up the audacity to do so if it weren’t for the encouragement and endlessly patient coaching I received from Iarla. He recorded his own version of the same song (‘Táim Cortha ó Bheith im' Aonar im’ Luí’) nine years later, on his 2005 solo album Invisible Fields – a beautiful piece of work, highly recommended.
Pierre Bensusan: Back in 1985, I was spending a year studying in Strasbourg, France. I’d already been shown the DADGAD tuning by a Breton guitarist I met at a festival, and then I came across Pierre Bensusan’s Livre de Guitare, which at the time had just been published in a beautifully designed and produced hardback edition. In addition to vast amounts of information on playing the guitar and tablature for both original and traditional tunes, many of them in DADGAD, it also contains poems, lovely illustrations by various artists and photographers, and some very nice recipes (try the four-grain bread!). The book is now available translated into English and in paperback, but I’ll always treasure my dog-eared hardback original. Many years after buying it I had the pleasure of meeting its author in person, and any of his concerts I’ve attended have been memorable. He’s a brilliant guitarist and a powerful character.
Me on MySpace: At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, I must admit that I still don’t get the point of the whole MySpace phenomenon. However, at the urging of several individuals whose opinions I respect, I’ve set myself up on it anyway and am now sitting back and waiting for the eureka moment to strike ....