Danú
- Genre
- Celtic | Traditional
- Country
- Ireland
biography
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was wrong. Youth isn't wasted on the young, not when an Irish band as talented as Danu comes along. Danu performs Irish traditional music with a skill and sizzle that have captured the imagination and loyalty of fans worldwide. The young Waterford-based septet "makes a most exciting and highly musical sound that stirs the blood and lifts the heart", according to Dublin's Irish Music magazine, which named Danu "Best Overall Traditional Act" of 1999. Since forming in 1995, they have produced four critically acclaimed recordings, the self-titled Danu (1997), Think Before You Think (2000), All Things Considered (2002), and their latest album The Road Less Traveled (2003).
The band had its beginnings after winning the Boulee des Korrigans' Trophy at the Lorient Festival in 1996. The following year saw the release of their first album and their brilliant line-up being quickly picked up by festivals and venues on an international level. Over the years they have played numerous festivals, including T?nder Festival in Denmark, Cambridge Folk Festival, Edmonton Folk Festival in Canada, and the Milwaukee Irish Festival in the US. Irish Music magazine awarded them "Best Overall Traditional Act" of 1999 and "Best Live Act" in 2000. BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards also named them the "Best Live Band" in 2001. The band has emerged as one of the most exciting live acts on the circuit, with flawless reviews for both their concerts and albums.
Tom Doorley - Flute and Low Whistle Eamonn Doorley - Bouzouki and Fiddle Brendan 'Benny' McCarthy - Button Accordion and Melodeon Oisin MacAuley - Fiddle Donnchadh Gough - Uilleann Pipes and Bodhran Donal Clancy - Guitar Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh - Vocals, Flute and Whistle
Critical accolades have kept pace with the growing international popularity of the group: "This is a great band. The standard of musicianship is super-league." - The Daily Telegraph "Danu are one of the hardest working bands in traditional music. They may, quite possibly, be the best. Kerry vocalist Muireen Nic Arnhlaoibh" has taken the group from being merely brilliant to something approaching greatness." - The Irish Post "Danu play like men (and woman!) possessed; possessed not by some demon, but by visceral, irresistible fervour; consumed by a furious musicality." - Pay The Reckoning
Awards::
Best Group - BBC Folk Awards 2004Best Original Song - 'Co.Down' performed by Dan? written by Tommy Sands - BBC Folk Awards 2004Best Group - BBC Folk Awards 2001Best Live Act - Irish Music Magazine 2000Best Overall Traditional Act - Irish Musicmagazine 19