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Danú

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Danú
OriginWaterford, Ireland
GenresTraditional, folk
Years active1995-present
Members
Past members
Websitehttp://www.danu.net

Danú is an Irish traditional music band.

The founding members of Danú (Donnchadh Gough, Dónal Clancy, Daire Bracken, and Benny McCarthy) met in Waterford in Ireland in 1994, and consolidated as a band after performing in the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in 1995.

Their second album, Think Before You Think (2000) was voted Best Overall Traditional Act by Dublin's magazine Irish Music. They are the only band to have been voted Best Traditional Group twice in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, in 2001 and again in 2004 when their version of Tommy Sands's "County Down" also won Best Original Song.

Members

Benny McCarthy is a founding member of Danú; he manages and performs with the band and plays button accordion and melodeon. Benny won the All Ireland Oireachtas in 1994 on both button accordion and melodeon. He is the driving force of Danú and is a key member of several other bands including Raw Bar Collective, The Tin Sandwich Band and Rattle The Boards. He is also one of the leading directors with Whobeganit Theatre Company who created the show Mag Mell in 2012-13.

Until 2016, the band's lead singer was Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, who replaced earlier singer Ciarán Ó Gealbháin, a tenor who left to finish his education, and who had in turn replaced Cárthach Mac Craith, who sang in the earliest incarnation of the band. Nic Amhlaoibh sang in English and Irish, in the folk and Sean Nós traditions, and also played flute and whistle. In January, 2016, it was announced that Nic Amhlaoibh would be leaving the band to be replaced by sean nós singer Nell Ní Chróinín.[1]

Tom Doorley is the flute-player, and often acts as the spokesman for the band on stage. He is a story-teller and works as a teacher and lives in Dublin.

Dónal Clancy is the guitar player for the band. He was one of the original members, and after several years pursuing a career with Solas and touring with his father, balladeer Liam Clancy (of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem), Dónal returned to Danú. During his absence he was replaced by guitar player Noel Ryan.

Oisín McAuley, a previous member of Stockton's Wing, plays four- and five-string fiddle with Danú. He has recently released a solo album of fiddle music. Earlier fiddle players for Danú are Jesse Smith and Daire Bracken.

Éamon Doorley plays bouzouki and fiddle, and is the younger brother of Tom Doorley. His bouzouki playing has a strong emphasis on countermelody. He currently collaborates with his wife Julie Fowlis, playing mainly Scottish Gaelic music and song. The Doorley brothers joined Danú in 1996.

Donnchadh Gough plays both bodhran and uillean pipes.

Discography

  • Danú (1997)
  • Think Before You Think (2000)
  • All Things Considered (2002)
  • The Road Less Travelled (2003)
  • Up In The Air (2004)
  • When All Is Said and Done (2005)
  • One Night Stand (DVD) (2005)
  • Seanchas (2010)
  • Buan (2015)

Side projects

  • Dual (2008) - Éamon and Muireann with Julie Fowlis and Ross Martin

References

  1. ^ http://www.danu.net/home/blog/2016-new-era-for-danu
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