Lúnasa

It was in 1996 that Trevor Hutchinson, the bassist formerly with The Waterboys and Sharon Shannon, joined guitarist Donogh Hennessy for a Scandinavian tour that planted the roots of one of today’s most respected Irish bands. Once back in Dublin, the pair brought in uilleann piper John McSherry and flutist/piper Michael McGoldrick to document a handful of live shows. The real elevation came when they secured Kevin Crawford, already a Moving Cloud member, whose flute and whistle playing raised the ensemble’s standard, complementing the whistles and fiddles of Sean Smyth, the qualified doctor who had first made his mark with the 1993 solo album Blue Fiddle. Their self-titled 1997 debut, Lúnasa, quickly outsold most rivals in Ireland and was chosen by the Irish Echo as one of the year’s finest releases. Extensive road work across Europe, America, and farther afield followed, with audiences drawn to performances that treated the music with respect yet allowed the musicians to poke fun at themselves. When Michael McGoldrick departed and John McSherry opted out of touring, Cillian Vallely stepped in for live dates. True breakthrough arrived in 1999 with Otherworld, issued by Green Linnet; the increased budget yielded richer production that captured the force of their concerts, especially on the standout set “The Butlers of Glen Avenue/Sliabh Russell/Cathal McConnell’s,” which also included a guest appearance by McGoldrick and the unexpected sound of the flügelhorn. Refusing to limit themselves to straight renditions, the group wove in genuine live grooves and explored fresh territory, winning still more listeners during their wide-ranging 2000 travels that reached additional corners of the globe and burnished their reputation. June 2001 brought the third album, The Merry Sisters of Fate, again built largely on traditional material. In 2004 they released The Kinnitty Sessions, an 11-song collection recorded live at Kinnitty Castle, Co. Offaly.