Sarah McQuaid: Buy

Sparkling guitar instrumentals and velvet-tinged vocals, described by The Rough Guide To Irish Music as "warm as a turf fire and as rich as matured cognac ... an astonishing debut by a unique talent." Beautifully produced by Gerry O’Beirne, the recording features guest appearances from a number of traditional music luminaries – piper John McSherry, singer Niamh Parsons, bass player Trevor Hutchinson, cellist Kevin Murphy, fiddler Colm McCaughey, keyboard player Rod McVey, and of course O’Beirne himself. Don’t expect a big wash of sound, however. When Two Lovers Meet is above all a gentle album, spare and understated, with Sarah’s voice and guitar always to the fore.

Learn to play in the popular Irish style of open tuning with The Irish DADGAD Guitar Book. Included are an introduction to the fundamental basics of music theory and the structure of Irish music, a guide to choosing a guitar, instruction on how to change strings, and a history of the guitar and Irish music. To implement the skills learnt, there is an extensive section of repertoire pieces, in both tablature and standard notation. With a vast section on using this alternative tuning (and the matching chords), this book is a brilliant resource for those attempting Irish music for the first time, with tons of useful tips, hints and secrets.