While talking to Maggie Boyle, I did wonder if I'd met the right person. It's not that the cuttings I'd read were wrong – descriptions of her singing and flute playing such as "divine", "hauntingly beautiful" and "exquisite" are right on the button. But she is so damned unassuming! I mean, she dismisses the fact that she has sung with the Chieftains as "old news" – which maybe it is – but didn't she find it exciting? "Well, I'd met some of them before so it was all right, really." And she was only the featured vocalist on Sir Anthony Hopkins' new film Legends of the Fall, whereas on Patriot Games she got to sing over the credits.
She reserves her excitement for her forthcoming reunion gig at the Selkirk in Tooting. It will be the first time the Boyle Family have played for 15 years. "Paul plays fiddle and Kevin plays banjo and guitar and sings. He writes some of his own songs as well but it'll really be a trad night."
"I've done some solo stuff and Paul's come along and done a bit with me but I really missed having Kevin around. So when Paul was asked if we'd do a gig together I rang the organiser and asked if it was all right if the other brother came along too – he didn't even know there was another brother!"
Their father Paddy, who died in 1989, was from Glenties in County Donegal. Although from quite an educated family, both academically and musically, "his real passion was fiddle playing". So he taught the Boyle children some songs and tunes, and with further encouragement from mother Alice, a keen stepdancer from Longford whose family is still heavily into the tradition, Maggie was performing in public by the age of 11.
Although she also received guidance from Oliver Mulligan – a renowned County Monaghan singer now based in London – her relationship with the tradition is a curious mixture of the passionate and the low key: "I wouldn't say I was crusading, but I would like to think that I was helping to keep the songs alive. A lot of people think that this a lot of dated old rubbish but so many of the songs are about feelings and situations that are mirrored every day – sad stories, lost love and that kind of thing – and I think it's great to try and bring these old songs to life. I really enjoy the challenge."
For three years Maggie, Paul and Kevin had a regular Saturday lunchtime residency at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Then, at 25, she left London for Bristol with her husband, Steve Tilston, a singer/songwriter/guitarist of growing reputation.
Together they have done two tours with Ballet Rambert of the folk ballet Sergeant Early's Dream with a ten year break in between during which they raised two children and moved to Yorkshire, "for the kids – we thought we'd try to find somewhere with a bit more fresh air." They regularly perform on the world-wide folk circuit either solo or as a duo – they are touring New England this autumn.
Maggie also appears intermittently with Nollaig Casey and Maire Ni Ghrada as Pure Irish Drops – they recently completed a successful tour of Germany – or as part of Grace Notes – a three part harmony female vocal group put together with two friends from Yorkshire.
As she excused herself from our interview to get ready to go on stage, she said: "I'm just off to put my face on. You won't notice any difference, though." As I said, painfully unassuming.