By Kirstin Roble

When you think of Ireland you might think of beautiful, lush green hills. Or delicious dark beer. Or perhaps you’re in the know, and when you think of Ireland, you think of Danù.

Named after the Mother of the Celtic Gods, Danù has become one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles of this era. Brought together to play an Ireland festival in 1995, it was never the intention to become a professional band. But as Danù button accordionist Benny McCarthy says, “That is what happened.”

The seven-member band has gone on to win dozens of awards. They’ve performed on more than a thousand stages. And they will make their way to the Luther College Center Stage March 9, 2010, at 7:30 pm. The band members are: Donal Clancy, Benny McCarthy, Donnchadh Gough, Tom Doorley, Eamon Doorley, Oisin Macauley, and Muireen Nic Amhlaoibh. Fans are entranced by their use of traditional Irish instruments, such as flute, tin whistle, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki, and vocals (Gaelic and English). Although some of these instruments may sound strange (see the Irish instrument glossary at the end of this story if so), for the musicians there could be nothing more natural.

”We all grew up learning and playing traditional Irish music, some from the age of four years,” says McCarthy. “The great thing about the music we play is that it is very social in that we can share and play tunes with other musicians, even though we were from different parts of Ireland.”

They combine both ancient Irish tunes and more contemporary pieces for a completely unique musical experience. Danù’s concerts are famous for being exciting and high-energy, and McCarthy credits the crowd for this.

“The audience plays a huge part in the high energy of our shows, believe it or not,” McCarthy says. “Everything needs energy to work and the audience is our source.”

Seeing different audiences and different parts of the world is one of the amazing aspects of with working with Danù, McCarthy says. But it can also be one of the most difficult sides of things.

“Sometimes the travel and technical aspect of actually getting to the concert can be very grueling but performing is always the easy part,” McCarthy says. “Nowadays most of us have young children which makes it very difficult to go away for long periods. We do a lot of valuable home time too though, so compared to other careers that is massive bonus.”

When touring in the US, McCarthy and the crew look forward to a variety of things.

“There’s lots of stuff we love about touring the United States,” he says. “Great music, clothes and electronic stores. I love the selection of cuisines available. And the exchange rate between the Euro and the Dollar makes everything a bargain for us, like the old saying goes: we will burn big holes in our pockets for sure.”
It will be the band’s first time to Decorah, although not their first time to Iowa or the region.
“We love touring in the Midwest, the reaction to our music seems very special every time,” he says. “Can’t wait.”

After 15 years of playing, traveling, and managing Danù, McCarthy “has a lot of experience under his belt.” He’s experienced the bad aspects of life as a musician right along with the good, but he couldn’t imagine his life any other way.

”This is the best career for anybody who loves the stage, loves their artform and wants to share it with the world,” he says. “I think true artists really have more focus on their art and performance; the money and fame is secondary. It can take many years to develop a skill but the challenges and fulfillment you get doing this is phenomenal.”

Check Danù out at Luther College on March 9 at 7:30 pm in the Center for Faith and Life. They will perform as part of the Center Stage Series. Tickets are available to the public on Thursday, February 18 – see www.centerstage.luther.edu for details. For more information on Danù or to hear samples of their music, visit www.danu.net

Kirstin Roble is a senior voice pedagogy major with minors in English and Latin at Luther College. When not singing or talking to other people about singing, she enjoys reading contemporary fiction, foreign films, running, Roman history, and the occasional shopping excursion. She also enjoys writing, particularly creative fiction. As secretary of the Performing Arts Committee (PAC), Kirstin is incredibly excited for the performance of Danu and hopes to see all of you there!

Irish Instruments:
Bodhran: This is a goatskin drum used widely in Irish music and is also popular in other Celtic areas.
Bouzouki: A stringed instrument with a wide, pear-shaped body and a very long neck, the bouzouki is a member of the “long neck lute” family and is similar to a mandolin.
Uilleann Pipes: Originally known as the Union pipes, Uilleann Pipes are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland.