Altan is celebrating 40 years on the road! After four decades, Altan remains at the forefront of traditional Irish music, blending the raw energy of their native Donegal fiddle style with a rare melodic sensibility. To coincide with this tremendous milestone, they have planned special celebratory concerts in Ireland and abroad, inviting special guests to join them. Their latest album ‘Donegal’ was released in 2024 by Nashville based Compass Records, to widespread positive reviews. Altan has always been regarded as tradition bearers, bringing their native Donegal music and songs to a wider public, keeping true to their roots while exploring modern arrangements and textures to entice new followers. This integrity in their music has placed them in high esteem by their peers; they are regarded as one of the most popular Irish traditional bands of all time.
Singer and founding member Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh became the 2017 recipient of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil/Traditional Musician of the Year (one of Ireland’s highest musical honors), recognizing her prominent role in supporting, nurturing, and strengthening Irish traditional music.
Doors open 1 hour prior to showtime. This show is All Ages
Pour les fans de Folk & Blues.
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28 years have aged Altan like a fine wine - robust and energetic as ever but smooth and comfortable together on stage. Perfect harmonies and timing whether on blistering fast jigs or deeply emotional ballads. Every member of the band is an artist and performer on their own and together, they are more than the sum of the parts.
They played a number of songs from their new album, recorded on Compass Records with Alison Brown and Gary West, who performed on the record and with them at this show. Gary solid bass provided a great anchor for the band and Alison took her turns burning up the stage with her incredible banjo playing. She stands not quite motionless but just tapping her foot a little while her left hand flies up and down the fretboard and her right hand produces a flurry of notes way beyond the movement you can see.
This was my second time seeing Alison and my third time seeing Altan - best performances from both. They earned the two standing ovations from the sold-out crowd at the Old Town School of Folk Music. It was thrilling to be there!