Triantan – Self Titled

Triantán – “Triantán” CD review by Roger Holdsworth
If you’ve ever sung along to “The Old Triangle” in a folk club, you’ll recognise the Triantán (Triangle) of this Sydney vocal trio Judy Pinder, Miguel Heatwole and Anthony Woolcott. They draw both on traditional Gaelic and English language songs and on the the magic of three fine voices working in close harmony – another triangle. Traintán’s repertoire draws largely on Irish and Scottish traditions, but nods occasionally to middle or contemporary English or even to melodies from Brittany. And being located in Australia, their song selection frequently focuses on issues or laments around transportation and emigration. This collection, Traintán’s selftitled and first release from several years ago, has all the hallmarks of being finely honed in singing sessions where the performers and audience enjoy the rich tapestry of sound. While there is occasional percussion, the CD is mainly unaccompanied vocal music, with three voices that both have individual character and strength, but also complement each other perfectly. They delight in the language and harmonies and in “An Cailín Gaelach” for example, decry the displacement of Irish by the English language. Their presentation here is a powerful testament to their dedication to research and revival and to the maintenance of one of the traditions that shaped this country.