 | | |
| | | |
|
ALTAN
Although they have attained
massive global success, particularly in the US, Altan have never compromised their
sound. The roots of the band lie in the relationship between singer and
fiddler Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh and Belfast-born flute player Frankie Kennedy, who
met and jammed together around Dublin in the late seventies.
The combination
of Mairead's Donegal fiddle tunes with Frankie's Belfast flute playing created
an unusual chemistry, more than just musical - they married a couple of years
later - and the band formed around the couple in the mid-eighties. Sadly Frankie
passed away in the early nineties, but Mairead and the rest of the band have kept
his spirit alive with their music, and recently released their 10th studio album,
Local Ground.
Altan celebrated their
21st birthday in style with this concert on the main stage at Celtic Connections,
The Royal Concert Hall. Unfortunately Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh had lost her voice
but, being such a well-connected band, they were able to call on the considerable
talents of guest vocalists Mary Black and Paul Brady.
 Celtic
Connections Homepage
| |
| |
|
|
