Patrick Cassidy:"The Children of Lir"

[Steve B]

I am setting myself up for a fall, perhaps, putting this composer as a thread. if you listen to the clips on "YouTube", you would think this hopelessly "off-topic"-fairly bland "New Age" music, as pumped out to the nth degree. But there is one album-"The Children of Lir".
At first hearing or two, I thought this sounds like fairly routine Handel, a bit late 18th century liturgical/choral; and there is certainly baroque pastiche in it, from contrapuntal, conventionally harmonised choral writing, to a Gluckian dramatic aria(alto, sounds like); and there is fugue. And then he drops in Uillean Pipes, an instrument, unlike the Scottich, harsher,bagpipes,I have always found especially haunting, inexpressibly so; and used famously by Enya, in her 1986 TV series "The Celts" album, before she went(repetitive)New Age bland. Occasionally, the Uillean Pipes adds a "wrong" note, to give a 20th century feel.
The whole mixture I just find captivating and haunting, pastiche or not, "crossover"(of genres-to a degree) or not; and genuinely-on a very deep level-very haunting, poignant and moving.
So please allow a regular poster a bit of license:); and i should be interested in anyone's views on this ONE album in particualar because it is the very best of this composer; and includes the things so many people on this site value: memorable melody; interesting orchestral textures, to name but two.
Thanks Steve