10/11/09 Upcoming Gigs / 25 Years on the Road with Altan

Ag súil go mór le dhul go dtí Briotáin na Fraince arís ag deireadh na míosa. Tá muid iontach gnóthach ag iarraidh crut a chuir ar an dlúthdhiosca úr le h-Altan le ceolfhoireann RTÉ. Beidh sé a lainseáil sa t-Seapáin sula dtig sé amach ar an taobh seo den domhan. Manus Lunny, Jim Higgins and myself are heading to Nantes to La Bouche D’Air Théatre on the 24th of November to play some of my Imeall material for the first time in Breizh!!!

Then Manus and myself head to Drogheda on the 28th to play in An Droichead Arts Centre….a place that has very strong connections with my family as my father taught there many years ago.Joining us on the night are three of my favourite musicians; John and Jacinta McEvoy and the wonderful John Wynne.
On December the 3rd Altan head off to tour Japan. What a beautiful country! I would honestly say that it is the most exotic place that I have ever visited. This will be our fifth or sixth visit to “The Land of the Rising Sun” and we are looking forward to meeting all our old friends and making new ones!!!

The Frankie Kennedy Winter School is celebrating it’s 16th year and this year it has a wonderful line up: The West Ocean Quartet, the multitalented Liam Ó Maonlaí, Fidil and Altan will be playing at the final concert of the School on the 1st of January 2010 in Ionad Cois Locha, Dún Lúiche.

Theatre de la Ville in Paris will be the next venue that Altan will perform in on the 8th and 9th of January. Then Manus and I will head to the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow for the 17th and 27th of January before heading around Ireland to do a few gigs , which we will post on the site as soon as they are all confirmed!
Altan will be touring the USA during the month of March….celebrating 25 years on the road…seems like yesterday!

19/10/09 Oireachtas na Gaeilge

Beidh Mairéad agus Mánus Lunny ag seinm ag Ceolchoirm an Oireachtais i Leitir Ceanainn ar an 28ú Lá de mhí Dh. Fómhair. Ina gcuideachta beidh Fidil, Séamus Begley, Tim Edey agus Seosamh Ó Neachtáin. Ina dhiaidh, beidh Mairéad agus Mánus le cluinstin Oíche Shamhna in Ionad Chultúrtha Shéamais Ennis in Naul i gCo. Átha Cliath. Níos mó eolais ar an leathanach ceolcoirmeacha.

Mairéad and Manus Lunny will be performing at Ceolchoirm an Oireachtais in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal on October 28th. In their company will be Fidil, Seamus Begley, Tim Edey and Seosamh Ó Neachtáin. Afterwards, Mairéad and Manus will be entertaining on Halloween night in the Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul in Co. Dublin. More information on the gigs page! A fun Halloween ahead…

19/08/09 Mairéad presents TV show “The Full Set”

Last Friday, 14th August was a huge success in the NCH with the RTÉ Concert orchestra, and was enjoyed by all!
You will see the fruits of our labour on the DVD when it is released.

The Full Set, a traditional music programme focusing in on the art form of duet playing in traditional music, is being shown every Friday evening now on RTÉ 1, so be sure to tune in!

I’m off to Tatihou this weekend with String Sisters and then Altan play two gigs on Sept 12th and 13th in Newtonards, Co. Down and Dunamany, Co. Cork respectively! Manus Lunny and I have also been invited to play the prestigious Renelagh Arts festival on September 23rd, so we’re looking forward to that!

Off to play The Celtic Colours festival in Cape Breton, Canada, in October for four shows… busy, busy!

31/07/09 Altan play NCH on Aug 14th!

We have just finished recording a CD with the wonderful RTÉ Concert Orchestra under the watchful conductor eye of David Brophy. The production was done by our arranger and genius friend Fiachra Trench and engineered by an old friend of the band Brian Masterson.

It was such a good experience for all involved that we have decided to make a DVD with all at The National Concert Hall on the 14th of August. We are really looking forward to this as it promises to be a very different experience and we will capture it on camera!

This weekend we play The McCracken School of music tomorrow night in Belfast and then head west to Ballyshannon to one of the longest running folk festivals in Ireland…..it is always a pleasure to be able to play our music in our own county!!!

I will head to Denmark next week with the wonderful Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh to play on a Viking ship in Copenhagen.

Then on the 21st August I will join my old friends The String Sisters at the Tatihou Festival, France.

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