A Touch of Tranquility - The Ireland of Phil Coulter
Popular Irish musician Phil Coulter, who is perhaps best known for  writing the song "The Town I Loved So Well," appears onstage to perform a mostly instrumental program with his own small orchestra in performances filmed at Belfast's Grand Opera House. Coulter is a capable pianist, and the individual songs, which include such Irish folk standards as "Danny Boy," "I'll Tell Me Ma," and "Carrickfergus," often sound quite beautiful when performed along with the string section of the orchestra. And the stunning scenes of the Irish countryside that accompany the musical selections do live up to the "touch of tranquility" in the title. Yet instrumental versions of some of this material can seem puzzling, especially for songs such as "Fields of Athenry," the lyrics of which tell an evocative story from the famine, or "Raglan Road," which boasts lyrics written by the great Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh. In fairness, Coulter does bring out songwriter Ralph McTell to sing "From Clare to Here," and Maura O'Connell sings a stirring version of the old folksong "The Water Is Wide." And Coulter himself sings "The Town I Loved So Well," which is presented as something of a music video, with scenes of a young boy kicking a soccer ball in Derry intercut with scenes of Coulter walking through the city at the peak of the sectarian troubles referred to in the song. This is a very professional production, but the familiar folksongs performed without vocals may well be a disappointment to some viewers.--Robert J. McNamara