02/09/12

Story by Diane Carroll

Danú - Irish Band

Danú ensemble takes listeners on musical journey to native Ireland

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Irish band Danú will host an early celebration for St. Patrick's Day when it appears at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 3, in the Carlsen Center's Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College.

Tickets, which are $80, $45 and $35, are available through the college box office at 913-469-4445 or at jccc.edu/TheSeries.

The group, which hails from historic County Waterford, is one of today's leading traditional Irish ensembles. It has been performing around the globe for more than a decade and has recorded seven albums.

A reviewer for Irish Music Magazine said that Danú "stirs the blood and lifts the heart." And The Washington Post called its music "a vibrant mix of virtuosity, energy and empathy."

The first members of Danú, including Benny McCarthy, met up in 1994 at a festival in Ireland. They began playing the following year, taking the name of the Celtic goddess, and released their first album in 1997.

The group's latest album, Seanchas was released in April 2010.

The band's members, who have changed somewhat over the years, are McCarthy on button accordion; Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh on vocals, whistle and flute; Eamonn Doorley on bouzouki; Oisin McAuley on fiddle; Donal Clancy on guitar; Donnchadh Gough on bodhran and uilleann pipes; and Tom Doorley on flute and whistles. Like McCarthy, Clancy and Gough were among the original members.

 Amhlaoibh performed with various groups before joining Danú in 2003. The band introduced her that year in its album, Road Less Traveled.

The ensemble has won numerous awards from the British Broadcasting Corp., and Irish Music Magazine. It has toured throughout Europe, the Middle East and North America, with stops in Los Angeles and New York.

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