Máire Ní Chathasaigh's iconic and ground-breaking solo album, The New Strung Harp, is of historical significance as the first harp album ever to concentrate on traditional Irish dance music and was released by Scotland-based Temple Records in 1985 to much critical acclaim. It was described as “An intensely passionate and intelligent record… a masterpiece of virtuosity… a milestone in Irish harp music” by the CORK EVENING ECHO newspaper (Ireland), as “A classic exercise in music-making” by THE SCOTSMAN, and as “Exquisite… exhilarating harp virtuosity... an undoubted classic” by THE IRISH PRESS. The owners of Temple Records, Robin Morton and his wife, wonderful harpist and glass-artist Alison Kinnaird, had already very kindly decided, before Robin recently died, to wind up the company and gift the album rights back to the recording artists. As Máire now owns the rights to the album, Old Bridge Music has had it digitally remastered, given a beautiful new cover and artwork and is now re-releasing it. Some reviews the album received after its release in 1985: “Exhilarating harp virtuosity... From her deep knowledge and love of her music, Máire has developed a unique approach to the harp and to ornamentation which makes this album an undoubted classic” - THE IRISH PRESS “Intensely passionate and intelligent... a masterpiece of virtuosity… a milestone in Irish harp music” - CORK EVENING ECHO “Unquestionably deserves to be hailed as a classic exercise in music-making.” - THE SCOTSMAN “A labour of love and a joy to the listener” - IN DUBLIN “So intricate are her techniques, so subtle her use of tonal lights and shades, so inventive her arrangements, that your attention is not so much caught as captivated. She has a style all of her own but which is ideally suited to the Irish harp. Her method of ornamentation by the nimble repetition of notes adds an exhilarating skip and vigour to the dance music... Her control and timing (on slow tunes) is spellbinding... A truly beautiful album.” - FOLK ROOTS “One of the loveliest albums for many a year... if you have tears to shed, prepare to shed them... The Celtic harp is not generally associated with the dancing rhythms of the reel and hornpipe... but in Ms Ní Chathasaigh’s nimble fingers the already rapid fountain of notes is further embellished by an astonishing display of decorative ‘grace notes’... The whole album is practically faultless... a glorious record.” - FOLK ON TAP “I must congratulate everyone connected with the making of this marvellous album... a work of art. This is the harp album I’ve been waiting for: it has everything, from lively jigs and reels to slow airs and some of the best Gaelic singing you are ever likely to hear... I really can’t write any more about this lovely album. In the words of a friend of mine, ‘What can you say about it? It’s perfect!’” - TAPLAS (Wales) About the artist: Máire is “the doyenne of Irish harp players” (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY) and 2001 recipient of Irish music’s most prestigious Award, Gradam Ceoil TG4 – Musician of the Year - “for the excellence and pioneering force of her music, the remarkable growth she has brought to the music of the harp in Ireland and for the positive influence she has had on the young generation of harpers.” A multiple All-Ireland and Pan-Celtic winner, Máire developed profoundly influential techniques for harp performance of traditional Irish music in the 1970s and in 1985 recorded the first harp album ever to concentrate on traditional Irish dance music, The New-Strung Harp - "a masterpiece of virtuosity… a mile-stone in Irish harp music". She has subsequently made seven duo albums with guitarist Chris Newman, two quartet albums with the Heartstring Quartet and a trio album, Sibling Revelry, with her sisters (The Casey Sisters) - all critically-acclaimed. Her "celebrated virtuoso partnership" (THE DAILY TELEGRAPH) with guitarist Chris Newman has toured in twenty-three countries to venues ranging from the tiniest of village halls to palaces in Kyoto and Istanbul, London’s Barbican, Sydney Town Hall and Cologne's Philharmonie. A TV documentary about Máire and her sister Nollaig was broadcast on Ireland’s national Irish-language TV station TG4 in November 2020, as part of its 'Sé mo Laoch series. "Her work restores the harp to its true voice." THE IRISH TIMES “In a class of her own” THE GUARDIAN * * * * * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY * * * * THE IRISH TIMES  * * * * SONGLINES * * * * THE DAILY TELEGRAPH * * * * THE SCOTSMAN