Sean Nós

She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty (yeah, it's a mouthful, but at least it's not Fiona Apple's monolith), was reportedly Sinead O' Connor's final album – it wasn't – as she seeks another way of life as a spiritual pilgrim, O'Connor delved deep into her rare, B-side, unreleased, and compilation tracks and gives listeners a live album to boot over two discs. Released stateside on Vanguard, this is, despite its disparate nature, one of the most satisfying recordings she's ever delivered – the previous year's Sean-Nós Nua, her traditional album, was a knockout and perhaps her finest studio moment, but it went unnoticed here because Americans can't seem to forgive O'Connor for exercising her right to free speech (the audience at Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary concert should be especially ashamed).

The life story of traditional Irish folk singer Joe Heaney, who is estimated to have recorded in excess of 500 traditional Irish sean nós ('old style') songs. Heaney moved from Ireland to the UK, and then on to New York …

Every now and then a singer comes along that manages to distill time and make the listener feel at once rooted and in touch with the essence of the song. Former Danú front woman Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh is one such singer. An award-winning musician from Corca Dhuibhne in West Kerry, she is a leading exponent of the sean nós style. Her repertoire also includes songs from a wide variety of folk and contemporary sources. Her childhood on the Dingle Peninsula Gaeltacht, saw her immersed in a rich cultural environment and vital living tradition, which was to be hugely influential on the foundation of her distinctive vocal and instrumental sound.

World renowned Irish American group’s third studio album. The Gloaming is four master musicians and one singer, seemingly suspended in time as their music unfurls around them, its tendrils reaching out into every nook and cranny of the room. It’s undoubtedly Irish music - with violinists Martin Hayes and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, guitarist Dennis Cahill, and with Ó Lionáird, one of the greatest contemporary sean-nos singers. But it’s also more than that: pianist and producer Thomas Bartlett steers the music towards a place where modernity and the old world become one. The heart of The Gloaming remains, but there are touches throughout that signal its points of difference.

Singer, guitarist, flautist (and practitioner of the double tin whistle), John is also a member of celebrated traditional group Skipper’s Alley and is joined here by bandmate Ultan O’Brien (also of Slow Moving Clouds).

Just to show that there will be a Ghost Song before and after, Cécile McLorin Salvant opens her album with a rather unexpected cover of Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights that she starts totally a cappella. Of course, the Franco-American has never followed the tradition of jazz singers to the letter – or what is expected of them – but here she drives the nail a little deeper both in her diction, still as original and fascinating, as in the – eclectic – instrumentation she has chosen.

Ruth Keggin is a singer from the Isle of Man who is passionate about bringing Manx music and language to a wider audience. Her debut solo album, Sheear (”Westward”), was released in February 2014. The live studio recording features an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary Manx Gaelic songs, arranged in a fresh and imaginative way.