Star rating: ***
Welcome to 1976, a time before acoustic guitars plugged in and before dilapidated harmoniums were supplanted by nifty little electronic keyboards. Not that Andy Irvine and Paul Brady went as far as to return to the technology of the time (although acoustic guitars that plug in can bring their own problems). They had enough to deal with in presenting the contents of a classic album that largely hadn't made it to the stage before.

Fortunately, as well as the album tracks, they had a repertoire to draw on that they had road-tested in the old days. It was, perhaps inevitably, a little rusty, but a combination of them falling into a kind of Irish folk version of the Odd Couple, their knowledge of where their material came from and some classic songs that they've stuck with down the years made for a happy and entertaining reunion.

The album itself was set as much in the Napoleonic wars as the 1970s, with tales of jolly soldiers merrily cutting through their brand-new in-laws' welcoming parties to claim their dowries, and the landmark Brady adaptation, Arthur McBride, drawing out a great performance.

Irvine's wistful songs and recollections of his travels in the Balkans brought reminders that, long before world music became fashionable, he was fusing intricate bouzouki tunes with his native tradition as well as putting hurdy-gurdy behind Brady's profitable mining of Ulster's song catalogue. Just to hear them working together again and recapturing the excitement of Plains of Kildare's racehorses was a pleasure.