Lowlands is an album by Irish songwriter, and folk singer Susan McKeown, released in 2000.

Lowlands
Studio album by
Released2000
Recorded2000
GenreFolk
Length52:09
ProducerSusan McKeown
Susan McKeown chronology
Mother: Songs Celebrating Mothers & Motherhood
(1999)
Lowlands
(2000)
A Winter Talisman
(2001)

The tracks on this album present an array of styles, including African, Appalachian, Middle Eastern and Irish. "Lord Baker" is often heard as fragment of a ballad, but here McKeown has included the full story, making this the longest track on the album. The Scots songs "The Dark Haired Girl" was translated into Irish by McKeown.

Track listing

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All songs Traditional unless otherwise noted.

  1. "The Dark Haired Girl" (An Nighean Dudh) (sung in Irish)
  2. "John Coughlin"
  3. "The Hare's Lament"
  4. "Slan agus Beannact/ Goodbye and Farewell" (sung in Irish)
  5. "The Snows They Melt the Soonest"
  6. "Nansi Og Ni Obarlain/ Young Nancy Oberlin" (sung in Irish)
  7. "Lord Baker" [Lord Bateman. Child Ballad 53]
  8. "Dark Horse on the Wind" (Liam Weldon)
  9. "The Lowlands of Holland"
  10. "Bonny Greenwoodside" [Child Ballad 20]
  11. "To Fair London Town"
  12. "The Moorlough Shore"

Personnel

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  • Aidan Brennan – guitar
  • Mamadou Diabaté – kora
  • Johnny Cunningham – fiddle
  • Joanie Madden – whistle, low whistle
  • Matt Darriau – kaval, Irish flute, clarinet, bass clarinet
  • Ole Mathisen – clarinet
  • Jamshied Sharifi – synthesiser
  • Skuli Sverisson – electric bass
  • Benjamin Wittman – percussion)
  • Garry Leonard – guitar
  • Greg Anderson – bouzouki
  • Paddy League – bodhran
  • Todd Schietroma – cahones, shakers, caxixis, handclaps
  • Des More – guitar
  • Eilis Egan – box
  • Samir Chatterjee – tablas
  • Oliver Straus – handclaps
  • Wang Guowei – erhu
  • Eaman O'Leary – banjo
  • John Anthony – caxisis
  • The group Lunasa consisting of:
  • Donough Hennessy – guitar
  • Kevin Crawford – whistles
  • Sean Smyth – fiddle
  • Trevor Hutchinson – acoustic bass

The following appear on the track "To Fair London Town":

  • Michelle Kinney (cello)
  • Cillian Valelly (uilleann pipes)