The repertoire of traditional Irish music is widely regarded as one of the richest and most beautiful in the world. It consists of a vast range of melodies of unusual diversity, which broadly speaking can be divided into two categories: slow airs and dance music. The slow airs are often reflective and even melancholic, while the dance tunes display a dazzling variety of rhythmic motif and style. Amongst the most popular forms are the jig, the reel, the hornpipe, the polka, and the slide. Other dances such as the strathspey, quadrille, mazurka, and waltz have also been assimilated into the Irish tradition. Irish folk music is very much a living tradition with a world wide following. It is in a constant state of renewal and re-interpretation, shown here to its best advantage and adding to the development of the tradition. The arrangements fuse the traditional melodies with classical elements, echoing styles rooted in the times of the origin of the tunes. They incorporate techniques such as modulation, countermelody, development, variation, cadenza like passages, chromatic harmony and counterpoint, but always keep the melodies in the foreground. The arrangements are as varied and diverse as the melodies themselves and range from the straightforward to the highly developed and elaborate. Recorded at the Rathgar Methodist Church in Dublin, the recording features master flautist William Dowdall, both solo and with an ensemble of Ireland s finest musicians. The arrangements utilise flutes, string quartet, concert harp, Irish harp, vocals and percussion. Irish flautist William Bill Dowdall has lived a very varied musical career. Born in Dublin in 1951, he became Principal Flute of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at the age of 22 and then was Principal Flute of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland for 25 years. He has performed as a soloist in Europe, U.S.A., Asia, Australia and New Zealand and is a much sought after teacher and performer. He is currently Professor of Flute at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. His repertoire ranges from J. S. Bach to the most complex of contemporary works. On this recording, he returns to his roots as his first professional engagement was in Dugan"s Irish Pub in the Flats in Cleveland, Ohio, a pub that still exists in North Olmsted, Ohio. Hubert Iggy Reynolds had heard him playing in the Cleveland Fèis (Fèiseanna are traditional Gaelic song & dance festivals) and invited him down to Dugan"s to play a few tunes . The few tunes turned into a long-standing engagement and a collaboration with Sean Moore and put William Kevin (Iggy changed his name from Bill to Kevin as he thought Bill wasn"t Irish enough) Dowdall through music school at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Maurice Sharp, the renowned Principal Flute of the Cleveland Orchestra. This recording acknowledges the deep gratitude he feels towards Sean and Iggy and is dedicated to their memory.