Biography
The Czech Republic serves as an unexpected home base for the Celtic folk-rock ensemble known as Dún an Doras. Although such groups abound in Ireland and Scotland, Prague provides the setting for this contemporary Celtic act whose roster has drawn from local Czech talent alongside arrivals from distant regions.
Far from strict traditionalists, the ensemble blends Celtic folk-rock with broader global sounds. Releases from Dún an Doras typically feature classic Celtic tools like fiddle, flute, and uillean pipes mixed with non-traditional additions such as Indian tabla drums tied to raga traditions, the South American cajon, the West African djembe, and the Aboriginal didjeridoo. Their catalog encompasses traditional Celtic material, yet interpretations often diverge from conventional approaches.
Prague witnessed the group's founding in 1997, followed by numerous personnel shifts. Initial participants encompassed Katerina Garcia handling lead vocals, Swedish-born fiddle player Nilla Axelsson, Irish-raised guitarist Simon Delaney, Ireland native Scott Mavroudis on uillean pipes, Tom English on bodhran, and founder René Starhon managing bass and bouzouki—a stringed instrument commonly linked to Greek music. Most originals departed by late 1999: Axelsson, Delaney, Mavroudis, English, and Starhon. Garcia and Starhon persisted, initially continuing as a vocals-and-guitar pair. This reduced configuration proved short-lived, as the early 2000s introduced Pepa Janicek on banjo, guitarist Petr Kosumbersky formerly of the Celtic band Shannon, Radvan Markus on flute, Jonathan Tennant contributing didjeridoo and percussion, Daniel Malczyk on fiddle, and Kristyna Kyndlova on percussion. Departures followed: Janicek in late 2001, Kyndlova in late 2002, Tennant in 2003. Jakub Severin, handling tablas, darbuka, and djembe, joined in May 2003. By late 2003, the six-member configuration comprised originals Garcia and Starhon alongside Markus, Kosumbersky, Severin, and Malczyk.
The debut album Bossa Nudski appeared in 1999. Next came Sweet & Sour, captured in 2003 and issued via Indies Records, a modest independent imprint located in Brno, Czech Republic, that has chronicled the post-communist Czech music landscape since the early 1990s.
Far from strict traditionalists, the ensemble blends Celtic folk-rock with broader global sounds. Releases from Dún an Doras typically feature classic Celtic tools like fiddle, flute, and uillean pipes mixed with non-traditional additions such as Indian tabla drums tied to raga traditions, the South American cajon, the West African djembe, and the Aboriginal didjeridoo. Their catalog encompasses traditional Celtic material, yet interpretations often diverge from conventional approaches.
Prague witnessed the group's founding in 1997, followed by numerous personnel shifts. Initial participants encompassed Katerina Garcia handling lead vocals, Swedish-born fiddle player Nilla Axelsson, Irish-raised guitarist Simon Delaney, Ireland native Scott Mavroudis on uillean pipes, Tom English on bodhran, and founder René Starhon managing bass and bouzouki—a stringed instrument commonly linked to Greek music. Most originals departed by late 1999: Axelsson, Delaney, Mavroudis, English, and Starhon. Garcia and Starhon persisted, initially continuing as a vocals-and-guitar pair. This reduced configuration proved short-lived, as the early 2000s introduced Pepa Janicek on banjo, guitarist Petr Kosumbersky formerly of the Celtic band Shannon, Radvan Markus on flute, Jonathan Tennant contributing didjeridoo and percussion, Daniel Malczyk on fiddle, and Kristyna Kyndlova on percussion. Departures followed: Janicek in late 2001, Kyndlova in late 2002, Tennant in 2003. Jakub Severin, handling tablas, darbuka, and djembe, joined in May 2003. By late 2003, the six-member configuration comprised originals Garcia and Starhon alongside Markus, Kosumbersky, Severin, and Malczyk.
The debut album Bossa Nudski appeared in 1999. Next came Sweet & Sour, captured in 2003 and issued via Indies Records, a modest independent imprint located in Brno, Czech Republic, that has chronicled the post-communist Czech music landscape since the early 1990s.
Albums