The Best Of Irish Altan Will Perform At The Met
Here’s hoping your interest in all things Irish hasn’t waned since St. Patty’s because the best is yet to come.
Altan, the best of a new generation of bands out of Ireland, is visiting Spokane as part of its U.S. tour.
This tour coincides with the release of a new album, “Runaway Sunday,” the band’s second with the Virgin label after “Blackwater” in 1996. The group has actually been recording since 1987 on Green Linnet Records, and I have been a convert since “Island Angel” in ‘93.
I admit being a fan, but I challenge anyone even remotely interested in folk fiddling or Irish singing not to fall in love with Altan’s music. The voice of Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh (Ma-RAY-ed Nee WEE-ney) ranges from heavenly and serene to playful, and her fast fiddling, in the Donegal style, is not matched by anyone.
Altan is not just your generic Irish band they focus on the music and style of County Donegal, where most of the band is from. The first hint of their authenticity is needing a pronunciation guide before the band members’ names can roll off the tongue.
In addition to leader Mhaonaigh on fiddle and vocals, there is Ciaran Tourish on fiddle and whistle, Ciaran Curran on bouzouki and mandolin, Dermot Byrne on accordion, and two guitarists, Daithi (DA-hee) Sproule and Mark Kelly. A look at the musicians’ bios shows that to a large extent, they learned their trade at the knee of their fathers, mothers and uncles, and all have played with some of the best Irish musicians around in addition to working with Altan.
The group is named after the lake near Gweedore in County Donegal, Loch Altan. Tradition runs deep with the band, and they have unearthed many native tunes some passed along from the last generation of fiddlers. Still, material is scarce.
Mhaonaigh explains: “It’s harder now to find songs in the tradition that are fresh and rare, so I wanted to begin writing our own to create something of our own in the traditional idiom.” Newly penned for the “Runaway Sunday” recording are “Time Has Passed” and “A Moment in Time.”
Local knowledge is passed on in everything Altan does. Even “Runaway Sunday” refers to a feast day on Inishowen, a peninsula of Donegal. Courtships would traditionally begin on Heather Berry Sunday in mid-July, when young people went picking, and they would either reach fruition or fall away on Runaway Sunday, the last Sunday before Lent.
Although there’s nothing more distinctive and graceful than the Irish language, the band mixes in plenty of English lyrics to give the listener a story to follow. As for the uptempo jigs and reels, they communicate across language barriers without any translation necessary. Your feet will understand.
xxxx Altan will perform at The Met on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $15, available at Street Music, G&B Select-a-Seat outlets or call (800)325-SEAT. Tickets at the door will be $17.50.