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Lúnasa (band)
Encyclopedia
History
Named after LughnasadhLughnasadh
Lughnasadh is a traditional Gaelic holiday celebrated on 1 August. It is in origin a harvest festival, corresponding to the Welsh Calan Awst and the English Lammas.-Name:...
, an ancient Irish harvest festival, Lúnasa was started when Seán Smyth, Trevor Hutchinson, and Donogh Hennessy briefly toured through Scandinavia in 1996. Upon their return to Ireland, they teamed up with Michael McGoldrick
Michael McGoldrick
Michael McGoldrick is a flute and tin whistle player. He also plays the Uilleann pipes and low whistle. He is well known for his ability to skate switch and regular with the same level of ability.-Bands:...
and John McSherry
John McSherry (musician)
John McSherry is an Irish musician who plays the Uilleann pipes and tin whistle. He is known for being a founding member of Lunasa and Coolfin and has performed on recordings by a number of well-known artists in Irish traditional music.-Biography:...
to record a few tracks for what would be their first album, which was named after the band. Kevin Crawford
Kevin Crawford
Kevin Crawford is a flute, tin whistle and bodhrán player. Born on 6 December 1967 in Birmingham, Englandto Irish parents who emigrated from Miltown Malbay, County Clare...
joined the group in 1997, and Cillian Vallely
Cillian Vallely
Cillian Vallely is an Irish musician, born in Armagh, Northern Ireland. He plays traditional Irish music on the uilleann pipes and low whistle, and studied at the Armagh Pipers Club with his mother and father, Brian and Eithne, and then with the late Armagh piper Mark Donnelly...
followed two years later.
In 1999, the group signed a three year contract with Green Linnet Records
Green Linnet Records
Green Linnet Records was an American independent record label that specialized in Celtic music. Founded by Lisa Null and Patrick Sky as Innisfree Records in 1973, the label was initially based in Null's house in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 1975, the label became Innisfree/Green Linnet and Wendy...
, and that October released their second album, Otherworld. After releasing The Merry Sisters of Fate and Redwood with the label, they terminated their contract. In 2000 they appeared on A Thistle and Shamrock Christmas Ceilidh.
In 2004, Lúnasa signed up with Compass Records and recorded The Kinnitty Sessions
The Kinnitty Sessions
The Kinnitty Sessions is an album by Lúnasa that was released in 2004 on Compass Records. It is their fifth major release, and their first on Compass Records. The album was recorded in Kinnitty Castle before a small audience...
before a live audience in Kinnitty Castle, County Offaly. That same year, Donogh Hennessy left the group. He subsequently recorded an album as a duet with Pauline Scanlon - previously of the Sharon Shannon
Sharon Shannon
Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician. She is best known for her work with the accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 album Sharon Shannon is the best selling album of traditional Irish music ever released there...
band - the culmination of a project entitled 'Deora De', an album comprising tunes and songs. He was eventually replaced by Tim Edey and Paul Meehan who each played half the tracks on the album Sé
Sé (album)
Sé is an album by Lúnasa. It was released in 2006 on Compass Records, and is the band's sixth major release. The album's name means 'six' in Irish.-Track listing:# The Cullybacky Hop...
. Tim Edey left shortly after, and Paul Meehan became the band's guitarist.
Released in April 2010, the band's newest album, Lá Nua
Lá Nua (album)
Lá Nua is an album by Lúnasa. It was released in 2010, and is the band's eighth major release. The album's name means "new day" in Irish.It is the band's first album to be released on their own record label.-Track listing:...
, was the first release on the band's own record label, Lúnasa Records. That same month, the band also performed on the Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant
Natalie Anne Merchant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She joined the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and left it to begin her solo career in 1993.-Early life:...
album Leave Your Sleep
Leave Your Sleep
-Inspiration:The sleeve notes credit inspiration for the songs of this album as follows:* Adventures of Isabel - Ogden Nash* Autumn Lullaby - Anonymous* Bleezer's Ice-Cream - Jack Prelutsky* Calico Pie - Edward Lear...
.
The group tours for a majority of each year and has performed in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Current members
- Seán SmythSeán SmythSeán Smyth is the fiddle player for the traditional Irish music group Lúnasa. Born in Straide, County Mayo, and now living in Galway, Seán is an All-Ireland champion on both fiddle and whistle....
– Fiddle, Whistles - Kevin CrawfordKevin CrawfordKevin Crawford is a flute, tin whistle and bodhrán player. Born on 6 December 1967 in Birmingham, Englandto Irish parents who emigrated from Miltown Malbay, County Clare...
– Flutes, Whistles - Trevor HutchinsonTrevor HutchinsonTrevor Hutchinson is the bass player and a founding member of Lúnasa. Born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland, he played with numerous bands before Lúnasa, including The Waterboys and Sharon Shannon.-Discography:With Lúnasa* Lúnasa...
– Double Bass - Cillian VallelyCillian VallelyCillian Vallely is an Irish musician, born in Armagh, Northern Ireland. He plays traditional Irish music on the uilleann pipes and low whistle, and studied at the Armagh Pipers Club with his mother and father, Brian and Eithne, and then with the late Armagh piper Mark Donnelly...
- Uilleann pipesUilleann pipesThe uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
, Whistles - Paul Meehan - Guitar, Bouzouki, Mandolin
Former members
- Tim Edey - guitar
- Donogh Hennessy - guitar
- Michael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrick is a flute and tin whistle player. He also plays the Uilleann pipes and low whistle. He is well known for his ability to skate switch and regular with the same level of ability.-Bands:...
- Uilleann pipes, flute, whistle - John McSherryJohn McSherry (musician)John McSherry is an Irish musician who plays the Uilleann pipes and tin whistle. He is known for being a founding member of Lunasa and Coolfin and has performed on recordings by a number of well-known artists in Irish traditional music.-Biography:...
- Uilleann pipes
Discography
Studio albums and live studio albums
- LúnasaLúnasa (album)Lúnasa is an album by Lúnasa that was released twice, first in 1998 on their own label, and again in 2001 on Compass Records. It is the band's first major release. The piping on the album was done by John McSherry, as Cillian Vallely was not part of the group at the time.The first eleven tracks are...
(1998) - OtherworldOtherworld (album)Otherworld is an album by Lúnasa that was released 1999 on Green Linnet Records. It is the band's second major release.-Track listing:# Goodbye Miss Goodavich / Rosie's Reel# The Floating Crowbar / McGlinchey's / The Almost Reel...
(1999) - The Merry Sisters of FateThe Merry Sisters of FateThe Merry Sisters of Fate is an album by Lúnasa that was released in 2001 on Green Linnet Records. It is the band's third major release....
(2001) - RedwoodRedwood (album)Redwood is an album by Lúnasa that was released in 2003 on Green Linnet Records. It was their fourth major release, and their last album on Green Linnet Records.-Track listing:# Cregg's Pipes...
(2003) - The Kinnitty SessionsThe Kinnitty SessionsThe Kinnitty Sessions is an album by Lúnasa that was released in 2004 on Compass Records. It is their fifth major release, and their first on Compass Records. The album was recorded in Kinnitty Castle before a small audience...
(2004) - SéSé (album)Sé is an album by Lúnasa. It was released in 2006 on Compass Records, and is the band's sixth major release. The album's name means 'six' in Irish.-Track listing:# The Cullybacky Hop...
(2006) - Lá NuaLá Nua (album)Lá Nua is an album by Lúnasa. It was released in 2010, and is the band's eighth major release. The album's name means "new day" in Irish.It is the band's first album to be released on their own record label.-Track listing:...
(2010)
Compilation albums
- The Story So Far... (2008)
- The Leitrim Equation featuring Lúnasa (2009) (features Lúnasa and other Irish musicians)
External links
- lúnasa.ie - the official website.
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/music/celticconnections/2009/artists/lunasa/index.shtml#emp - video on BBC's Celtic Connections site - live January 2009.