A Year in Music – 2024 – Paul McDermott (To Here Knows When Podcast)
by Killian Laher
What are the albums you enjoyed most this year?
Three of my favourite albums this year were: The New Sound by Geordie Greep, Bounds by Craven Faults and The Hollow by Keeley Forsyth. I finally picked up a copy of one of my all-time favourite albums: The Sound’s From The Lions Mouth. I’ve been after a vinyl copy of this album for years but originals go for stupid money, so thankfully it got a nice affordable reissue.
My top secondhand find this year was Our Musical Heritage a 3LP boxset from 1982. Our Musical Heritage was a radio series on Irish Traditional music presented by Seán Ó Riada on Radio Éireann in 1962. The boxset contains a book of the text of Ó Riada’s talks, edited with a preface by Thomas Kinsella and three LPs edited and introduced by Tomás Ó Canainn, of the performances by sean-nós singers and traditional instrumentalists. I’ve been after this for years. I’ve only ever seen it once “in the wild” and that copy had a battered box and no book. The book’s important to have. I found the boxset in Spindizzy Records. Someone had sold an amazing collection of Irish trad and folk records to the shop. A few people had been through the collection before I had my chance so god only knows what treasure I missed.
2024 proved to be another incredible year for Irish music. I’ve written about my “Top 10 Irish Albums of 2024” here.
My favourite Irish albums included: Lúireach by Landless; Hey Panda by The High Llamas; Cuimhne Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar by David Murphy and No Flowers Grow In Cement Gardens by A Lazarus Soul.
Is there any artist or album that defined the year for you?
Like many, I was really happy by the return of The Cure. ‘Alone’ is such a brilliant song and really served to only ratchet up the excitement levels for the album. Thankfully Songs of a Lost World didn’t disappoint. On first listen you knew that this was a bona fide classic to stand alongside Disintegration, Faith and Pornography.
The podcast is going really well, you are into the 2000s now, is that right?
The great reaction continues to be humbling. I’ve jumped around the decades this year. I did an episode on Stano’s experimental debut album ‘Content to Write in I Dine Weathercraft’ from 1983. It was a huge pleasure to devote episodes to some of my favourite albums from the 1990s: Hawaii by The High Llamas; Kissing the Roof of Heaven by Hinterland; and Ciddy Hall by Nine Wassies From Bainne. The 2000s have been represented with: At the End of a Winding Day by The Hedge Schools; A Murder of Crows by Joe Chester; Twilight by John Hegarty and the most recent episode is on The D They Put Between the R & L by A Lazarus Soul. I really enjoyed producing an episode on Louder & Clearer by Stanley Super 800. This great band recently reformed for two sold-out gigs in Cork. I wish I could have made it down for one of these gigs.
Do you get to many gigs these days?
I seem to spend more time accompanying my sons to basketball training sessions and matches these days than gigs – and that’s absolutely OK! In November I got to see Goat in all their anonymous psych glory in Manchester. An incredible gig and definitely a highlight of the year. Their self-titled album was another favourite this year.
Anything interesting in the works yourself for 2025?
I’ve more podcasts lined up and I’m looking forward to producing those. Cork City Library have been doing really great “Listen Back” sessions. Mellow Candle members Alison O Donnell and Clodagh Simonds introduced a playback of their classic album Swaddling Songs and John “Spud” Murphy introduced a False Lankum playback. I produced a documentary a few years ago for RTÉ Lyric FM about Michael O’Shea and his incredible music so I’m really looking forward to introducing a playback of Michael’s album on Wednesday, 19 February, in the Rory Gallagher Music Library, Cork.
One of my highlights this year was interviewing music journalist and author Simon Price at the Ballina Fringe Festival about Curepedia, his encyclopaedic A-Z of The Cure. It was a brilliant night in the Mary Robinson Centre. Simon is coming to The Sugar Club on 11 April and Prim’s Bookshop in Kinsale on 12 April. I’ll be asking questions and conducting a Q&A session. Afterwards, Simon will host his Spellbound alternative 80s club night. In a pub in Ballina, he had punters dancing on tables so I can’t wait for these events.
Paul McDermott presents Songs to Learn And Sing, Wednesdays at 11pm on 103.2 Dublin City FM
To Here Knows When – Great Irish Albums Revisited is available on all listening platforms:
Further Information about the podcast is here: https://www.paulmcdermott.ie/podcast
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