Friday Evening Concert: Danú - Aoife and Deirdre Granville - The Trad Gathering

Friday Evening Concert: Danú - Aoife and Deirdre Granville - The Trad Gathering

Please note that all advertised concert times are door opening times. Performances will commence 30 minutes after doors open.

Danú

For three decades, Danú have been at the heart of Irish traditional music, captivating audiences with their virtuosity, creativity, and deep connection to Ireland’s cultural heritage. Formed in 1995 in County Waterford, the band’s journey began with an impromptu session after a céilí in Dungarvan. In 1996, the group were invited to represent Ireland at the Inter Celtique Festival in Lorient, Brittany, where they won the prestigious Boules Des Korrigans award for best up-and-coming band.

Over the years, they have toured extensively across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, gracing stages at iconic venues and major festivals across the UK, Denmark, France and beyond. Danú’s recordings have earned critical acclaim. Their live performances have been broadcast on NPR, CBC, and the BBC.

Danú’s current lineup, features Benny McCarthy (button accordion), Nell Ní Chróinín (vocals, tin whistle), Oisín McAuley (fiddle, backing vocals), Éamon Doorley (bouzouki), Tony Byrne (guitar), Ivan Goff (pipes, flute, whistle), and Billy Sutton (bodhrán, mandolin, backing vocals).

To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Danú is releasing The Pearl Album (Live in Celebration), a stunning collection of 30 tracks recorded live in over 25 iconic venues. The album showcases the band’s mastery of traditional Irish music, blending intricate instrumental arrangements with Nell Ní Chróinín’s exceptional vocals.

Aoife and Deirdre Granville

Aoife and Deirdre Granville grew up in a bilingual home in the town of Dingle, Co Kerry, where they learned much of their music. Aoife is a flute player and fiddler as well as singer and currently works at the Folklore Department at University College Cork. She was appointed to the Arts Council in 2022 and is currently recording her third solo album.

Deirdre is a harpist, flute player and singer and released her first solo album Imram a few years ago. She is a board member of Harp Ireland and a secondary school music teacher in Dingle. Deirdre was recently awarded an artistic residency at Centre Culturel Paris, where she completed a compositional project.

Aoife and Deirdre recently recorded duet tracks on Beauty an Oileáin, a collection of music and song from the Blasket Islands recorded by descendants of islanders. They have just completed the recording of a duet album which will soon be released. Aoife and Deirdre’s music and interpretation of songs have been shaped considerably by the traditions of West Kerry.

The Trad Gathering

IMDL’s London-wide youth project The Trad Gathering features a large group of young traditional Irish musicians led by Karen Ryan and Pete Quinn. The project was founded in 2008; jointly commissioned by the BBC Proms and Return to Camden Town Festival.

In recent years, the group have been celebrating music from the repertoires of prominent members of the London Irish music scene, including: Bryan Rooney, The McCarthy Family, Roger Sherlock, Lucy Farr, Danny Meehan, John Bowe, Julia Clifford, Mick O’Connor and Tommy Maguire. The Trad Gathering have performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Kings Place, Royal Festival Hall, Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s Day Festival at Trafalgar Square and many more.

This evening, members of the group will play their debut performance of tunes from the repertoire of the legendary Connemara flute player, Marcus Hernon.