Irish band Altan come to Marquette Thursday
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MARQUETTE -- For more than four decades, Altan has stood at the forefront of traditional Irish music. The band’s spirit and sound come from the deep and rich musical tradition of their native County Donegal. Led by singer and fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, they blend the raw energy of the Donegal fiddle style with a rare melodic sensibility.
Altan will bring the music of Ireland to the Reynolds Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on their national U.S. tour. The theater is located at 3 Hedgcock, Marquette. Tickets are available at Northern Michigan University | Ticketing – Altan, (906) 227-1032, or tickets@nmu.edu.
Altan will be honoring Dolly Parton in concert with a song they recorded together. Altan vocalist Ní Mhaonaigh was on CNN recently remembering her friend Parton, who cherished the Irish roots of her Appalachian songs. The band made three recordings and a performance with the late superstar, who called Altan “one of the greatest traditional Irish bands.”
“It was just a joy to work with her,” Ní Mhaonaigh told Phil Mattingly on “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” “Dolly was such an integral musician, she had a great passion for real music. We just play traditional Irish music, we don’t do anything fancy, but I think she just tuned in to what we were doing. She actually insisted that I sing in my native Irish language. We are so grateful to have had that small time with her.”
Altan will perform in concert the traditional song “Barbara Allen,” which they recorded with Parton in Nashville for her 1994 album Heartsongs. They also did a duet on Parton’s album Little Sparrow (2001) and the singer joined Altan on their album The Blue Idol (2002).
Altan have also worked with Allison Krauss, John Prine, Ricky Skaggs and The Chieftains. Actor/musician Steve Martin joined Altan and banjo-player Alison Brown on stage in New York this March.
The Boston Globe has called Altan “the hottest band in the Celtic realm.”
The first Irish traditional band signed to a major label (Virgin Records in 1996), Altan have gone both gold and platinum in Ireland. They were named Ireland’s Best Traditional Band (Irish broadcasting TG4) and regularly tour Europe, Japan, Australia and North America, playing such venues as Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Glastonbury Fest and the Sydney Opera House.
Their latest album, ‘Donegal’ (2024, Compass), their 14th studio recording, is described as “essential listening” by the Irish Echo.
Altan’s leading force is Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (Mah-rayd nee Winnie), known for her fierce fiddling, and singing in both Irish and English. She was raised in an Irish-speaking musical family in Donegal, a region rich in tradition producing such fellow legends as Enya and Clannad. Ní Mhaonaigh founded the band in the 1980s with her late husband, Belfast flutist Fankie Kennedy and their fresh spirit and no-compromise traditional tunes found a ready audience. After Kennedy’s passing in 1994, she continued their legacy leading the group to international success.
"I want people to feel like they've gone to Ireland for a few hours with us,” Ní Mhaonaigh recently told the Williamson Scene. "We hope to make people feel the intimacy of the music, because Irish traditional music really is from the heart."
Guitarist Mark Kelly, a master of open tunings, has been with the band since the beginning. A Dubliner, Kelly discovered traditional Irish music while attending Irish language courses in the West of Ireland.
Three newer musicians have joined the band in recent years. Accordion player Martin Tourish, named 'Young Musician of the Year' by TG4 in 2008, has been with the band for a dozen years; he’s worked with The Chieftains, Patti Smith, and Ricky Skaggs. Newest member Clare Friel (The Friel Sisters) adds her voice as well as some exciting twin fiddling with Ní Mhaonaigh. And guesting on this tour will be Cathal Curran, a rising young multi-instrumentalist (bouzouki, fiddle, banjo) who hails from the same Donegal village as Ní Mhaonaigh, Gaoth Dobhair.
Now embarking on their fifth decade, Altan’s commitment to their Donegal heritage ensures the music will endure for generations to come.