Manus McGuire grew up in Sligo in the northwest of Ireland, an area rich in traditional music and one that has produced many of the country’s outstanding fiddle players. It was in the early 1980s that Manus and his brother Seamus formed Buttons and Bows, the seminal Irish group that went on to record three albums and receive rave notices on both sides of the Atlantic. In the early 1990s, Manus helped form Moving Cloud; a County Clare based band that also features Lúnasa’s Kevin Crawford. Their self-titled, 1994 release was voted album of the year by The Irish Echo. Foxglove, their second recording, followed to great acclaim in 1997.

Saffron and Blue is Manus McGuire’s first solo album. The album encompasses the diverse strands of his musical experiences from Ireland, Scotland, Shetland and French Canada. It further exhibits his recent compositions in the form of waltzes, hornpipes, jigs and reels, all products of his newfound creativity.