Glasson resident Tony Dunne to launch debut CD

'Echoes' is the title of a new CD by local resident Tony Dunne which will be launched on Friday (July 6) at 8pm in the Glasson Golf Hotel. The album is Tony's first and it's something he had been planning for a number of years. A native of Dublin, he has been living in the Athlone area for over three decades and is a retired AIT lecturer. He lives in Glasson and regularly plays in traditional music sessions at venues such as Grogan's, Flannery's and Sean's Bar. Tony has decicated the new album to the memory of his late wife Jean, who sadly passed away last year. The 13 tracks on 'Echoes' are his interpretations, on guitar and bouzouki, of music by Turlough O'Carolan who lived from 1670 to 1738. In the CDs liner notes, Tony writes: "This album is a celebration of the life and music of Turlough O'Carolan whose musical legacy of more than 200 compositions has survived for over 300 years. His music is alive and well in the wonderfully vibrant tradition of the live music session that is one of Ireland's cultural gifts to the world. "It is not commonly known that O'Carolan wrote words for most of the tunes. Written in Gaelic, his lyrics have not survived nearly as well as his melodies. He lived in a time when there was little communication media apart from the spoken word. His music survived until now thanks mainly to the oral tradition." All are welcome to attend the launch of 'Echoes' at the Glasson Golf Hotel on Friday, July 6.