Danú in concert March 5

Traditional Irish ensemble Danú performs March 5 for the Edison Ovations Series. Photo by Colm Henry. Download hi-res version.

In Ireland, the toe-tapping collegiality of an impromptu living room concert can be summed up in a single word: craic.

And perhaps no band better exemplifies the essence of craic than Danú. Hailed as a “spirit-raising concoction” by The Irish Times, this five-member ensemble is among the most charismatic and sophisticated traditional Irish groups working today, known for mixing ancient Irish songs with new additions to the repertoire in concerts that are at once authentic, clever and fun.

Next month, guest artists Shauna Mullin and Ivan Goff will join Danú for a special one-night-only performance hosted by the Edison Ovations Series at Washington University.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5, in the university’s 560 Music Center. Tickets are $35; $30 seniors; $25 for Washington University faculty and staff; and $20 for students and children.

Tickets are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets. The 560 Music Center is located in the Delmar Loop at 560 Trinity Ave.

For more information, call (314) 935-6543 or e-mail edison@wustl.edu.

Danú

Named for the Celtic mother-goddess, Danú dates its origins to 1994, when three old school friends from County Waterford — Benny McCarthy, Donal Clancy and Donnchadh Gough — joined with Dubliner Daire Bracken for a performance at the renowned Lorient Inter-celtic Festival in France. The group received a warm reception and, fortified by Dublin brothers Tom and Eamonn Doorley, returned in 1996 to win the festival’s award for best new band.

In 1997, Danú released its first album, the self-titled Danú, while continuing to build a strong following on the festival circuit. In 1999, they signed to the U.S.-based Shanachie record label and in 2000 released their sophomore effort, Think Before You Think.

Subsequent recordings have included All Things Considered (2002), The Road Less Travelled (2003), Up In The Air (2004), When All Is Said and Done (2005), Dual (2008) and Seanchas (2010). Their live DVD, One Night Stand (2005), was filmed at Vicar St. Dublin. They are the only group to have been named Best Traditional Group twice in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, while their version of Tommy Sands’ “County Down” was named Best Traditional Song.

Current line-up

Danú is today led by founding members Clancy and McCarthy. Clancy, the group’s guitarist, is the son of legendary balladeer Liam Clancy and also has played with the Irish-American band Solas. McCarthy began playing accordion at the age of 13 and, in 1994, won the prestigious Oireachtas Competition on both accordion and melodeon.

Also featured are Éamon Doorley, who plays bouzouki (a long-necked string instrument, similar to a mandolin) and Oisin McAuley, who joined Danú in 2001 as a fiddle player. Rounding out the group is recent recruit Martin O’Neill, a Glasgow export who has won All-Scotland, All-Britain and All-Ireland titles on Bodhrán (the iconic Irish frame drum).

Vocalist Shauna Mullin, who hails from Ballyshannon in County Donegal, released her debut album, The Wishing Tree, in 2010. An All-Ireland singing champion, she earned a master’s degree in traditional Irish music from the University of Limerick, but attributes much of her style and repertoire to her family, namely her granduncle, the great singer/songwriter Paddy Tunney.

Ivan Goff, an All-Ireland champion from Dublin, plays uilleann pipes (Irish bellows-blown pipes), whistles and Irish wooden concert flute. A former member of Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul, Goff has performed in both the Broadway engagements and U.S. tours of Michael Flatley’s Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. He also has worked with Paul Winter, Lúnasa and Dervish, among others.

Edison Theatre

Founded in 1973, the Edison Ovations Series serves both Washington University and the St. Louis community by providing the highest caliber national and international artists in music, dance and theater, performing new works as well as innovative interpretations of classical material not otherwise seen in St. Louis.

Edison Theatre programs are made possible with support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis; and private contributors. The Ovations season is supported by The Mid-America Arts Alliance with generous underwriting by the National Endowment for the Arts and foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.