There is currently a movement in traditional music which is being grasped by the next generation and moulded into their own voice. In the hands of such talent as  it is no wonder they are quickly gaining a reputation which will no doubt see them break out of their Irish home in the Comeragh Mountains of County Waterford. The Wran are four brothers: Tommy, Danny, Seán and Stephen Dunford and their debut album, ‘The Stone Man’, infuses traditional Irish folk songs with punk and psychedelia, allowing the songs to grow and transform. The Wran combine traditional and modern instrumentation with a dedication to keeping Irish songs, language and storytelling alive.   

Opener ‘Sullivan’s John’ is a re-imagining of the iconic traveller ballad by Pecker Dunne. The banjo is accompanied by the most beautiful vocal seeped in the folk tradition. Indeed here the listener gets an early indication of the honest interpretation achieved by The Wran. The track builds as it travels, until the jig takes control. Original composition ‘Dunford’s March’ was written as a march for the Dunford family name. The instrumental is built around bodhrán, banjo, acoustic guitar and harmonium, taking inspiration from the marching tunes and battle music of old Celtic traditions.  follows, an Irish street ballad collected by Colm Ó Lochlainn which dates to the late eighteenth century. In the hands of The Wran it is taken into darker territory, with full respect to the original. Itwinds up into a frenzied pacing heading to its end, taking the listener with it as its spell has been cast. 
 
‘Aird Uí Chuain’ is a breathtaking delivery of a traditional emigration song and lament about longing for home in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Sung in Irish it is dripping with melancholy, the emotive delivery expressing the devastating impact of emigration, so often the subject of traditional folk music. This flows seamlessly into the instrumental ‘Fear Dearg’, The Wran’s debut original Irish trad tune, which initially carries on the heavy heart of ‘Aird Uí Chuain’. However it quickly lightens, lifting the mood and the pace as the deft finger work of the banjo leads the dance, as if letting go of the cares on our shoulders and losing oneself in the music can help release some of those troubles, if just for a moment. 
 
‘Some Say The Devil Is Dead’ is a song once heard never forgotten. A live favourite it is an old Irish song which looks at how evil isn’t always found in places you’d expect. The harmonies are simply stunning and the instrumentation envelopes the listener, weaving its charm with the glorious keychanges.  With the jig to the end, perhaps the devil is playing the tune and driving the dance?  In contrast  follows, a decades old traditional emigrant song.  The crisp delivery of this joyous track could have been written for The Wran, being from County Waterford themselves.  The imagery is delightful and the accompanying instrumental adds to the overall thrill of the track: 

“For we are the boys with such fun and such eloquence 
Drinking and dancing and all other joys 
For ructions destruction’s diversion and devilment 
Who’s to compare with the Waterford boys” 

Album closer ‘All Kilbrien Are On A Spree’ is another arrangement of a traditional song by The Wran. Vocal driven it tells of a village in County Waterford, the clarity of the vocal simply breathtaking, and it feels wholly appropriate to close out ‘The Stone Man’ with a song about a place close to the band’s home. 
 
The Wran have shared that this album is inspired by songs they grew up with and found over time. It is evident that they wanted to produce a body of work deeply rooted in where they are from. This they have achieved with their talent, matched by respect for the stories they want to tell. 

8/10