The Speks – Singalong songs from glasses island

Price: €13.00

The debut release from Irish children’s act, The Speks. It’s a nursery rhyme album containing many of the usual suspects, but played as (and in some cases set to) Irish traditional music – for example “Miss Polly had a dolly” is set to the tune of The Beggarman and “Sing a song of sixpence” is set to Carolan’s Concerto. It’s also got some of the pre-school songs you get here that you don’t tend to find on UK and US releases (like Michael Finnegan and The Scarecrow). It’s well put-together by proper trad musicians (flute, guitar, banjo, tin whistle, mandola, fiddle, etc) with a great line in close harmonies.

Our resident nursery rhyme connoisseur (Heather) gives it the thumbs up, her favourites being “Spida” (Incy-wincy spider) and “Wow you boat” (Row-row-row your boat). Her big sister is a fan too, demonstrating her enthusiasm for “the Irish dancing bits” by bounding around the kitchen like Michael Flatley. It’s more lively than “Old English Nursery Rhymes” without straying into frantic territory – a no-nonsense, well-executed nursery rhyme record with a good dose of Irish trad mixed in. If you’re looking for kids music with an Irish slant (and sung in a variety of undiluted Irish accents) then this might be for you.

(p.s. There’s also a good set of accompanying teaching notes for use with the CD in the classroom on The Speks own website)