We should probably start by saying this was a bit of a dream.  We had talked about making an album many times before but never thought it could happen.  And then it came down to one thing…my mother’s determination.  It was all a little overwhelming. Who knows where to begin?  Picking the right studio, the right producer.  If you have never done it before, how do you know what works?  In retrospect, I’d say it came down to a bit of luck.  Mom would try to tell you she knew it the whole time.  But in the end or I should say the beginning, it was when the doubt rose in our minds, the knot in our stomachs said we were crazy, and that fear of failure said we couldn’t do it.  And we took the first step anyway…happy to be doing it together.  Neither one of us have looked back since though sometimes the fears are still there.  Are we doing the right thing?  Should we redo this or include that?  It didn’t get easier to make the hard decisions but it got easier to take a chance.  As always with something Irish, a tradition emerged!  One small glass of Jameson, every time we were in the studio, a meeting or practice.  When we stop to think how many times we toasted to the music we should probably be ashamed of ourselves.  But as mam says,”Bold as brass, we are.”  Maybe the Jameson is what gave us courage but I don’t think so.  We argued.  We fought for the things we wanted most, we encouraged each other when the other had doubts and we laughed…oh, how we laughed.

        So what if you asked us our favorite tune from the album?  We’d have a hard time picking.  When you’re in a studio, picking through a song, note by note, sometimes you don’t hear the end product.  You only hear those few notes that you thought were ingenious and you can’t get them out of your head.  In that case, I would have to say the cello solo in the “Age Song”, it moves so smoothly you never want it to end.  But I also love the harmonica solo in “Sorry Flowers”.  It captures the feeling of the words… hopeful, despair, and then resolution.  Now, the harmonica is not a traditional instrument of Ireland but it gave me chills when first I heard it.  And what about the fiddle and the electric guitar in “Granny”?  For some reason, I always find myself smiling and singing terribly along with it… forgetting about pitch and timing but just having a bit of a laugh.  So you see, it wasn’t just what makes the album sound Irish.  We are Irish and that comes through anyhow.  It’s what we felt when we listened to the music.

        Let’s talk about the lyrics.  The album itself didn’t take long to write.  Mom was inspired by the loss of her brother, Tiger, for whom the album is named.  Do you know what it’s like to have so much to say but the words won’t come out?  Well, that’s where she was.  After Tiger passed away, things seemed to become clear to her.  The words came…and each one seemed to have more meaning than the last.  “September” was the first song mom ever wrote.  When I heard it for the first time over the phone, I cried.  It wasn’t a finished product.  It wasn’t fancy.  It was my mother singing a song for her brother.  At first I thought it was because I knew him and knew who she was singing about.  But now I know it’s a song sung from the soul and that’s what makes it powerful.  We tried to keep this song bare on the album.

        We Irish are all rogues and pranksters.  If we think we can catch you, we’ll try.  And then see how far we can take it.  Mom and I were in Ireland for Christmas when my uncles innocently asked me to join them for a pint.  Of course, I agreed and they brought me to Pakie O’Brien’s pub in Charleville.  A cozy little place with a small room up front.  The room was the size of a matchbox with a large window facing the street.  No table, just a wooden bench, and a little curtain dividing a counter between the bar and the enclosed room.  This tiny little room is called a snug.  Some years ago, women were not to be seen in a pub drinking with men and would have to sit in the snug.  There are still places in Ireland that keep hold of this tradition.  Pakie’s Pub was NOT one of them.  But the boys seemed to have a plan and I was their quarry.  The objective was to subject me to enough ridicule and pressure that I would sit in the snug alone despite my will and beliefs.  Well, they did it.  It seemed there was only a few patrons in the pub when I went into the snug but when I came out the whole town was there and the laughter was deafening.  I was close to tears and completely humiliated.  I’ve never laughed so hard in my life as the pints kept coming.  This is where “Granny”-a sherry-sipping wild woman came from.  Leave it up to mom to put a spin on things.

        We don't want to spoil it all but I think there is something on this album for everyone.  Young and old, Irish or not, we hope you love it as much as we loved making it.