'The album reveals Boylan to be a confident musician who can play completely solo on tunes like "Johnny's Wedding" and "The Controversial Reel," with simple piano accompaniment on a pair of lilting hornpipes, or with guitar for a plaintive waltz. But he can also share the spotlight with others, including three-time U.S. national mandolin champion Dave Peters, who plays along with Boylan on a set of reels, and E.J. Jones of the Houston Celtic band Clandestine, whose Highland bagpipe swaps solos and plays duets with the Derryman's flute on a set of tunes that Jones wrote and Boylan named. The result of all this happy collaboration is an album of varied, unusual and interesting arrangements devoid of monotony. Still, Boylan's flute playing is always at the center of the proceedings, providing the principal melody and pulse for each tune. Therefore, it helps that he has a lively and animated style, that he's deeply grounded in the tradition, and that he's still willing to experiment (as on a somewhat jazzy-sounding rendition of the "Pikemen's March"). Most of all, it comes down to one fact: the boy can really play.'
- Steve Winick in Dirty Linen

'It's with great pleasure I review "the tidy cottage" (sic! no capitals on the cover!) by Turlach Boylan. I must confess that I had never heard about Turlach before I put this cd into my cd player. One reason for this could be, that although born in Derry, he has been living in Houston for about ten years. I've always had a soft spot for flute music and when it's being played the way Turlach plays it, I just sit down and listen in awe. He is some flute player and a whole rake of good musicians, whose instruments include dumbek and highland pipes (on the title track only), elegantly backs him on this cd. Don't get it wrong - this is an album of traditional Irish music played on traditional instruments with the occasional piano accompaniment. It's a fine cd all the way through and it's hard to single out special tracks, but one I really like is Con Cassidy's Jigs where Turlach is joined by his brother Ruairi who is a great flute player too. The two flutes go extremely well together. All through the cd you can hear the love for the music oozing through the tracks.'
- Mich G Nielsen in Penguin News and The Folk Pages

I RECOMMEND THIS CD!!!! YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!
I recently acquired a CD by flute player Turlach Boylan, "The Tidy Cottage". This recording is as good as most of the CD's in my Celtic collection of 1,000 discs! Boylan is a world class Irish flute
player.
- Nic Caciappo, Beat Music, Modesto, CA

'...most cuts will leave you breathless. Augmented by fiddle, cittern, piano, and the occasional bagpipe, this CD is nearly an hour of pure pleasure'
- Keith Swingruber in Celtic Chronicles (rated 5 out of 5)

The Tidy Cottage takes an almost minimalist approach to Irish music especially in contrast to much of the overproduced schlock that is being passed off as Irish music today. Only one track on the recording features more than three instruments letting the beauty of the arrangements and wonderful tune choices shine. While the arrangements are simple in their instrumentation they are brilliant in their execution and even the unlikely pairing of flute and highland bagpipes is quite successful. .... With the founding of his own Big Plain Records and on the strength of its debut release, The Tidy Cottage, we likely haven't heard the last of Turlach Boylan.
- Cliff McGann in The Boston Irish Reporter

'...Turlach Boylan has put together a fantastic CD to listen to on the way to a ceilidh. Consisting of primarily traditional tunes that show off his remarkable flute playing, the CD is strong and consistent throughout with big help from members of his family and members of Clandestine, Patrick Street and Tir na nOg.'
- James Rodgers in Victory Review

'This is a really pretty album. Graceful and restrained and free of gimmicks. In a time in which more and more "Celtic" albums are being overproduced, it's nice to find one that's absolutely focused on the substance. As much as I enjoy the other instruments and ensemble work on this CD, what I love the most is Turlach playing unaccompanied. You really appreciate the fidelity to the dance rhythm and the knack for holding that steadily, even unaccompanied.'
- Dale Wisely on Chiff and Fipple .com

'A very nice album'
- Janice Hopper on www.sessioneer.com

'I thought the arrangements, the settings and the musicianship on this CD all fell into place brilliantly.....if you're interested in collecting CD's that are heartfelt and are just fun to listen to, you should consider adding Turlach Boylan's to your collection.'
- Albert Alfonso in the SCMA Newletter

'I enjoyed the CD very much, it has a lovely, homespun sound that you don't hear too often these days... very much like a session.'
- Sean O'Meara, WWOZ, New Orleans

'I enjoyed listening to "The Tidy Cottage", ...... It's a solid album, with a well-crafted blend of instruments, definitely the type of music I enjoy sharing with others.'
- Rob Killam, Celtic Tapestry, WFIT

'This recording by Turlach Boylan is stunning. The playing is patient, sensitive, precise and very traditional. The tune choices are brilliant and done with production so transparent one feels that they might be sitting with Turlach and his friends in a tiny cottage while they course through their material. Wonderful work!'
- Mike Dugger, formerly of Scartaglen, currently with Sunrush

'Turlach Boylan, from Glenullin, Co. Derry, is a gifted Irish flute player, and this recording is the culmination of years of devotion to his craft, and to Irish tradition. It is also something of a family affair, featuring Turlach's sister Sheila on fiddle and his brother Ruairi on flute. The other musicians hail from widely disparate musical styles, but the binding philosophy is a shared commitment to beauty, with everyone bringing something unique to the blend.
The end result? Beauty, uniquely and unmistakably Irish in spirit and form. It is with great pleasure and a sigh of "At long last!" that I welcome the appearance of this recording, and I am honored to contribute to it.'
- Julia Olivarez (in the liner notes)

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