From the outset, it became a favourite with many lovers of traditional song, the appearance of three generations of one family singing on a single release being a particular draw. However, the tapes and booklet have not been available to the public for many years. When the Tunney Song Tradition Trust approached CCÉ about the possibility of reissuing and indeed adding to the original release, the Ardstiúrthóir of Comhaltas, Dr Labhrás Ó Murchú, gave an enthusiastic ‘yes’ to the idea. He thought it would be an excellent project, ideally suited to Comhaltas’ 75th anniversary celebrations (75 Bliain ag Fás). Thus, WHERE THE LINNETS SING 2026 is both a reissue of the original and, over thirty years later, an update of it as well. There are fifteen extra tracks, eleven more voices, and two additional generations featured in this new online publication. 

This project is above all else an archive of the extended Tunney family singing, a sampling across five generations of the range of family voices, of their various characters and qualities over a fairly long time. One-hundred-and-fifty years separates the birth of the oldest singer, Annie Meehan, from the present. One-hundred-and-sixteen years separates her birth from that of her great-great-grandnephew, Séamus Hickey, the youngest singer who can be heard here. The recordings were made over a seventy-four-year period in all sorts of contexts: studios of various qualities, hotels, kitchens, hallways, bedrooms, even under blankets. In some cases, original master tapes have been lost and dubs have had to be used. Unfortunately, such vagaries are unavoidable with such a project. Hopefully, the listener will understand and embrace the colour, the contrasts and the fun that such diverse recording contexts have produced.