IMN : Updates for Altan

Altan's Mairéad Has a Few ‘Surprises’ on New TV Program

IMN

February 20th, 2013

From the Donegal News

Mairéad has a few ‘surprises’ on new tv programme
By: SEÁN P. FEENY

A NEW series which sees Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh explore some of the North’s most attractive spots and to visit some of her musical friends is about to hit our screens.

This Friday, February 22, the first episode of the new series Aniar Aduaidh will be shown on RTÉ One (7.30pm) as Mairéad begins her journey in her native Gaoth Dobhair.

The journey begins in Mairéad’s native Gaoth Dobhair, the Gaeltacht which has drawn her home and where she is now permanently based, surrounded by her family and friends including, among others, Manus Lunny of Capercaille (who also features).

Mairéad reflects fondly on her strong musical influences of her father, the late Francie Mooney and shares memories of her late husband and founding member of Altan, Frankie Kennedy, which sets the tone of the series.

To read more click here

Altan's Dermot Byrne: Traditional Musician of the Year

IMN

February 14th, 2013

From The Donegal Democrat

Altan’s Dermot Byrne named TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year

Donegal accordion maestro Dermot Byrne has been named Gradam Ceoil TG4 2013, Traditional Musician of the Year.

Born and reared in Buncrana in the north-east of the county, his roots stretch to the Teelin Gaeltacht in the south-west and his musical tastes range far and wide.

He has been one of the country’s top box players since his teenage years. A long-serving member of the internationally renowned group Altan, Dermot also performs regularly with the top names in traditional music and has released a number of very successful solo recordings.

To read more click here

Altan and Cherish the Ladies Make Top Celtic Songs List

IMN

November 16th, 2012

From NPR Music

The Mix: ThistleRadio’s 100 Essential Celtic Songs
By: Fiona Ritchie

“Welcome to the debut of ThistleRadio, our 24/7 channel devoted to music with Celtic roots. During almost 30 years hosting The Thistle & Shamrock, I’ve been privileged to hear thousands of albums on everything from vinyl to MP3. For the launch of ThistleRadio, I’ve selected 100 songs and instrumentals by passionate performers from across the decades who have helped define the sound of my radio shows.

ThistleRadio is essential listening for dedicated fans of the Celtic sound and its many trailblazing artists. If you’re new to it all, this is the perfect place to discover the heart and soul of a dazzling traditional and contemporary art form. As the channel grows, I’ll regularly introduce new tracks to the mix, both from established architects of the genre and from the rising tide of new talent, so come back often.”

From ThistleRadio’s 100 Essential Celtic Songs:

Altan, “Blackwaterside”

Cherish The Ladies, “Fair And Tender Ladies”

Maura O’Connell, “The Water Is Wide”

To read more and to see the full list click here

Altan: Poison Glen Performance Review

IMN

October 28th, 2012

From Belfast Telegraph

Folk legends leave their fans reeling
By: Alf McCreary

The legendary Irish traditional group Altan brought style, verve and great musicianship to their performance at The MAC on Saturday night.

Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, who founded Altan many years ago with her late husband Frankie Kennedy, was as superb on vocals as ever, and she combined beautifully with Ciaran Tourish on fiddles to sustain the furiously toe-tapping pace.

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Altan Brings "Irresistible Energy" to the UK

IMN

October 26th, 2012

From Telegraph & Argus

Legendary Irish band Altan show is a real coup
By: Kathie Griffiths

SaltaireLive scoops yet another coup for its World Heritage stage tonight, with legendary Irish band Altan.

They are in the UK for just five dates on their autumn tour with their new album Gleann Nimhe and Saltaire’s Victoria Hall is hosting one of those gigs.

There are few bigger names in Irish music than Altan, who take their name from a loch in their native Donegal, and with a seven-year gap since their last album, the new material has been eagerly awaited by fans anxious to hear the band’s latest offering. Altan’s trademark combination of beautifully measured songs – some in English, some in Gaelic – from the haunting voice of Mairead ni Mhaonaigh and explosive sets of traditional tunes, jigs and reels will be well worth the wait.

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Altan make welcome return for Loinneog Lunasa

IMN

August 2nd, 2012

From: The Donegal News

Altan make welcome return for Loinneog Lunasa

ALTAN make a return to their own backyard to perform an intimate concert at Ionad Cois Locha, Dun Luiche as part of this year’s Loinneog Lúnasa Festival on Friday, August 10 (8.30pm).

Altan’s music has always been true to the roots from which it has grown, always injecting something new as they approach a set of tunes, or something beautiful when Mairead Ní Mhaoanaigh’s voice floats over slow air or a love song.

This will be the first time since the annual Frankie Kennedy Winter School in December 20122 that Altan perform in West Donegal. Since they have been busy promoting and touring all over the world with their latest album.

Their new album Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen combines all of the freshness that is characteristic of this great band, together with a rare depth and purity that can only come from the souls of superb musicians.

Also performing at the popular Lakeside venue as part of Lionneog Lúnasa is renowned guitar virtuoso Steve Cooney, who takes to the stage the next night, Saturday, August 11.

To read more click here

Superb and Stylish New Album From Altan

IMN

April 16th, 2012

From The Donegal Democrat

Superb and Stylish New Album From Altan

Like all good things it was worth waiting for. Top traditional music group Altan recently released their first studio album in almost seven years to widespread and critical acclaim.

Entitled ‘The Poison Glen – Gleann Nimhe’, it captures the heart of soul of this genre with all the glorious subtlety and sweeping majesty that the title suggests. Each of the 13-tracks on offer has a unique and genuine quality that make you sit up and want more. Gleann Nimhe is their thirteenth album.’Gleann Nimhe’, meaning the “Poisoned Glen”, is, as we all know, in Dunlewey.

The track are: A Fig for a Kiss (Slip Jigs); Cailín Deas Crúite na mBó (Song); The Pretty Young Girls from Ardara Set (Highlands and Reels); The Blackest Crow (Song); Tommy Potts Slip (Jig); The House at the Corner; Seolta Geala (Song); The New Rigged Ship; Eddie Curran’s (Reels); Caitlín Triall (Song); The Wheels of the World (Slow Reel); The Lancers (Jigs); Lily of the West (Song) and An Ghealóg (Song).

Altan has been together for 3O years, and this album is a return to the simpler sound of earlier recordings, after their work with the Concert Orchestra.

To read more click here#

Altan Coming to Portsmouth Music Hall

IMN

February 29th, 2012

From Portsmouth Patch

Altan Coming to Music Hall
By: Kathleen Soldati

Altan, the most talked-about traditional group to emerge from Ireland, comes to The Music Hall’s Historic Theater on Friday, March 9 at 8 p.m. just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Tickets for the show are on sale now at The Music Hall box office.

The award winning group plays the music of Donegal, Northern Ireland and Scotland, ranging from touching old Irish songs to hard hitting reels and jigs. Propelled by the acclaimed vocals of Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and backed by double fiddle, flute, guitar, accordion, and bouzouki, the band seamlessly blends dazzling instrumental prowess with gorgeously delicate vocals.

For the past 25 years, Altan has been committed to bringing the beauty of traditional music to contemporary audiences. While preserving its longstanding roots, they recognize that Irish traditional music is effectively a modern music. According to The Sunday Tribune, Dublin, “The appeal of Altan centres on the fact that they see no differences or divisions in music. As such, they have managed to cross the all-important cultural barriers between folk and world and rock music.”

To read more click here

The Poison Glen

IMN

February 28th, 2012

From World Music Central

Renowned Irish Group Altan to Release The Poison Glen in March

Legendary Irish music band Altan will be releasing The Poison Glen (Gleann Nimhe) on February 28th in the United States, March 9th in Ireland and March 12th in the UK.
The Poison Glen is reminiscent to earlier classic albums such as The Red Crow and Horse with a Heart, and the instrumental prowess of Ciaran Tourish (fiddle), Dermot Byrne (accordion), Mark Kelly (guitar), Ciarán Curran (bouzouki) and Daithi Sproule (guitar) alternately shines on sets of sprightly jigs, driving reels and gorgeous airs, and interweaves with Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh’s ethereal vocals. Standout tracks on the album include “The House on the Corner”, “The Lily of the West” and “The Wheels of the World.”

Altan is still one of Ireland’s leading bands. After 30 years together, they are still making music as exciting and relevant as when they first started.

USA Tour

3 March – The Cedar – Minneapolis, MN
4 March – The Ark – Ann Arbor, MI
6 March – Barns at Wolftrap – Vienna, VA
7 March – Sellersville Theater – Sellersville, PA
8 March – City Winery – New York City, NY
9 March – The Music Hall – Portsmouth, NH
10 March – Somerville Theatre – Somerville, MA

To read more click here

New Album From Great Irish Band Altan

IMN

February 27th, 2012

From AnnArbor.com

New album finally at hand, great Irish band Altan playing The Ark
By: Kevin Ransom

It’s probably safe to say that Altan is the greatest trad-Irish band of the last 20 years or so.

However, they don’t always hew strictly to tradition. While many of their songs are sung in Gaelic, many others are in English. And they sometimes perform Celti-fied versions of songs from other genres, like American folk music, and on some of their wistful ballads and airs, they’re not shy about employing a more ambient-Celtic production style if they feel that the song calls for it—almost always to wonderful effect.

Altan long ago earned its rep as an Irish supergroup, given how supremely talented the individual members are. And the first among equals is Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, whose ethereal vocals often lend the ballads a haunting quality.

To read more click here

A Fresh Sound From Altan

IMN

February 20th, 2012

From Donegal News

A Fresh Sound From Altan
By: Sean P. Feeny

Following the success of their album 25th Anniversary Celebration with the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra Altan are back with a brand new release.

Gleann Nimhe (The Poison Glen) was recorded right here in Donegal at The Steeples Studios in Ramelton by renowned musician and producer Billy Robinson and additional recordings by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh’s long time collaborator, Manus Lunny at Stúideo na Mara, An Bhráid.

The new album features a collection a brand new slip jigs, reels, both newly arranged and originals, and plenty of brand new songs from the Irish trad supergroup.

To read more click here

Altan Returns With New Album, US Tour

IMN

January 31st, 2012

From Irish Emigrant

Altan Returns With New Album, US Tour

Legendary Irish folk act Altan return to the limelight with a new album in February and a tour of the US, France and Norway.

Altan’s tenth studio album, Gleann Nimhe – The Poison Glen, will be a return to the outfit’s roots and will feature a more organic sound, with less reliance on guest appearances.

“We went back to the roots of the six members of the band, with only Harry Bradley and Jim Higgins as guests on this one,” vocalist and founding member Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh told The Journal of Music.

“I also wanted to have the voice more to the fore in terms of the sound, less produced so that we could bring the music into the listener’s room a little more.”

To read more click here

PREVIEW: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day With Altan

IMN

March 17th, 2011

From The Day

The Garde Welcomes The Irish Band Altan
By: Kristina Dorsey

Irish musicians must live for March. Everyone goes all crazy for the Emerald Isle around St. Patrick’s Day, and that means lots of potential gigs for Gaelic bands.

That said, not all Irish bands are created equal. Altan is rather renowned. The Boston Globe touted it as “the hottest group in the Celtic realm.” The Irish government even issued an official Altan postage stamp five years ago.

Among the highlights of the band’s 25-year history: seeing their 1990 release “The Red Crow” become the first of their three albums to win the Celtic/British Isles Album of the Year award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufactures; and having their 1994 album “Island Angel” become Billboard’s fourth best-selling world-music album of the year.

Oh, and they’ve got a reputation for being killer in concert, as you’ll see if you go to their Sunday concert at the Garde Arts Center.

To read more click here

REVIEW Altan's "25th Anniversary" Album (Washington Post)

IMN

March 23rd, 2010

(From The Washington Post)

By: Geoffrey Himes
Published: March 12, 2010

Pairing a folk string band with a classical orchestra is often a bad idea: The cohesiveness of the large ensemble can clash with the assertiveness of the small. But when the R.T.E Concert Orchestra, Ireland’s public-radio house orchestra, backs that country’s great folk band Altan on “25th Anniversary Celebration,” they blend unexpectedly well. That’s because precision harmonies are essential to Altan’s music, and the orchestra expands that signature sound without distorting it.

The group, which has worked with a classical string quartet, asked Irish composer Fiachra Trench to flesh out his chamber-music arrangements for a full orchestra. He does so quite tastefully, always allowing the folk quintet to own the foreground at the beginning of each song and bringing up the strings and woodwinds later to broaden the band’s musical ideas. The nine songs and six instrumental tracks — two-thirds traditional and all previously recorded — provide a sumptuous tour of the band’s quarter-century history.

It helps that Altan’s leader, Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, is the Alison Krauss of Ireland — a talented fiddler and once-in-a-generation singer. When Ni Mhaonaigh warbles the slow air “I Wish My Love Was a Red Red Rose,” her soprano mirrors the lushness of the orchestra behind her and the yearning desire of the song’s lover.

To read the article online click here

REVIEW Altan @ Troy Music Hall

IMN

March 13th, 2010

(From the Schenectady Daily Gazette)

By: Geraldine Freedman
Published: March 13, 2010

The celebrated Irish traditional band Altan played Friday night at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in a pre-St. Patrick’s Day concert that thrilled a large crowd filled with a devoted following. The concert, which was part of an almost four-week U.S. tour, marked the band’s 25th anniversary.

Fiddler/vocalist and co-founder Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh, fiddler Ciaran Tourish, bouzouki player Ciaran Curran, accordionist Dermot Byrne and guitarist/vocalist Daithi Sproule, who is the only band member who lives in America, have accumulated high honors over the years ranging from having an official Irish postage stamp and making very successful world tours to playing for presidents and selling thousands of recordings. The fame is well deserved.

Based just on Friday night’s performance, the band produced a robust sound with energy levels that never slackened. The band’s high level of technical expertise and the players’ delightfully thick brogue allowed them to create an illusory atmosphere redolent of the best Irish pubs.

Many of the tunes they played came from Donegal — even Altan is the name of a mysterious lake behind Errigal Mountain in Donegal. Some tunes band members wrote. Reels and jigs predominated with their traditional style of repetitive motifs that tend to hypnotize before they all suddenly end. Sometimes they started slowly and then picked up steam and volume. This caused audience members to stamp their feet and clap their hands in time. Most tunes, especially the very quick ones, got delighted whoops and loud applause. These instrumentals included “Highland Man,” “Cliffs of Glen,” “Old Cuffe Street,” “Silver Slipper,” “The Roseville” and “Danny Meehans.”

When Mhaonaigh sang, she told funny anecdotes as to where she found the song. Although everyone was miked, Mhaonaigh managed to alter the quality of her voice to suit the songs, which were all strophic (different lyrics, same music) and often in Gaelic. For “As I Roved Out,” her voice was a light soprano. In “A Love Song,” it was like a dramatic clarion. Her “I Wish My Love Was a Red, Red Rose” with Sproule was a sweet ballad. Sproule also sang a few, which he wrote. They were sunny with discernible melodies filagreed with traditional ornamentation.

In the second half, they opened with “Is the Big Man Within?” and “Tilly Finn’s” in which Byrne was especially hot. “Dark Haired Lass” got audience members dancing in the aisles. “Come ye by Atholl” was followed with each member taking a solo. Byrne’s and Mhaonaigh’s solos got wild applause.

The show ended with several reels in which sparks flew, followed by a fast song for an encore.

To read the article online click here