The names Frank Harte and Donal Lunny together on a CD cover, that must be a good quality album. Harte is one of Ireland's most important ballad singers. For decades he has been collecting and singing ballads and teaching traditional Irish music. Guitarist and bouzouki player Lunny was one of the pioneers of the revival of Irish folk music. He has played in bands such as Planxty, The Bothy Band and
… Moving Hearts. Today he is mainly a producer of albums. On the double album My Name Is Napoleon Bonaparte, Harte sings twenty-six songs that are directly or indirectly related to Napoleon Bonaparte, under the sporadic accompaniment of Lunny. The Irish population had suffered under the occupation of the English for centuries. The reports of the French Revolution (1789) gave the Irish again hope for freedom. Bonaparte was seen as the hero who would liberate the Irish from their common enemy England. In vain. The songs sing about Bonaparte and daily life in a time full of bloody battles. Thanks to the extensive information in the CD booklet, the album gives an excellent picture of Ireland in revolutionary times. (SvdP)more
