The County Cork singer - his name is pronounced "ear-lah o-linnard" - specialises in sean nos, meaning "in the old style"; basically unaccompanied singing, more often than not in Gaelic. His unique voice will be familiar to anyone who has come across the Afro-Celt Soundsystem, where his haunting vocals counter-balanced that project's often boisterous output.

Invisible Fields finds Ó Lionáird singing in his native tongue, yet nothing is lost in the process. The emotional output is clear for all to hear; a song like I'm Weary Of Lying Alone finds him singing alone, his voice quavering with feeling.

He is often accompanied, sometimes by nothing more than a piano or a harmonium or an acoustic guitar, sometimes with what sounds like a full band; he likes to work like this, apparently.

On the medieval-sounding Tuirimh Mhic Fhinin Dhuibh his voice duels with a violin and you are hard-pressed to tell at times which is which. It's rare for a record to demand you listen to it, rather than just have on in the background as you do ironing. As graceful as it is intelligent.

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Released: 22nd August 2005
Label: Real World