Sean Tyrrell, “Walker of the Snow”
“Sad Gypsy,” from his moving 2013 release, “Walker of the Snow”
REVIEWS FOR "WALKER OF THE SNOW"
The Irish Times: “Tyrrell wanders through vastly different landscapes, from the suitably wayward and Wildean “Reading Gaol” to the bittersweet ambivalence of the timely closer, “I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound,” borrowed from Tom Paxton’s songbook. Tyrrell’s plaintive vocals have come into their own on this collection, possessing a spare, echoic quality that recalls Ry Cooder’s in “Paris, Texas. “ Tony Trundle partners Tyrrell’s lilting mandola with a perfectly throaty fiddle on “The Lark in the Morning” – reinvented by Seán’s indefatigable optimism. Here be folk music as it was meant to be: pugilistic at times, all embracing at others. Tyrrell’s appetite for telling it like it is is as unquenchable as ever.”
Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange: "Tyrrell's voice, plaintive but firm, moves aside the manhole cover to let the ghosts out and howl."
We are devastated to learn of the passing of Seán Tyrrell. Seán was an authentic modern-day troubadour, and his rough-hewn, honest voice was admired throughout Ireland. Seán was perhaps best known for setting Irish poetry to music, giving new life to writers and works that had been unfairly neglected.
A compelling live performer, Seán favored out of the ordinary instruments like the tenor banjo, tenor guitar, mandola and mandocello. His vocal style and arrangements rendered the most well-worn songs fresh and the most obscure songs familiar. The Vital Record is proud to offer his 2013 release, Walker of the Snow, a beautiful and haunting collection of songs. Seán, and the immense integrity with which he approached his art, will be deeply missed by all. It was a great honor to work with him