Lúnasa’s date in Ennis this Friday

TO COINCIDE with the release of their new album, Lúnasa is returning to Glór this Friday, during the Fleadh Nua celebrations.
After a four-year absence from the studio, Lúnasa’s new album Lá Nua, has been highly anticipated and came out of extensive rehearsal and recording on location in the Cooley mountains in the north-east.
Inspired by Ireland’s great 1970s group The Bothy Band, Lúnasa use melodic interweaving of wind and string instruments, pairing flutes, fiddle, whistle and pipes in often breathtaking arrangements.
“Lúnasa is a gathering of some of the top musical talents in Ireland. Its members have helped formed the backbone of some of the greatest Irish groups of the decade: bassist Trevor Hutchinson was a key member of The Waterboys, and later he, with former Lúnasa member Donogh Hennessy, would form the dynamic rhythm section of The Sharon Shannon Band.
Fiddler Seán Smyth is an All-Ireland champion who has played with Donal Lunny’s Coolfin; Kevin Crawford, considered to be among the finest flutists in Ireland played with the acclaimed traditional group Moving Cloud; and, piper Cillian Vallely comes from a renowned and talented musical dynasty. Paul Meehan, on guitar, has performed with the Karen Casey Band, Altan,” a spokeswoman for Glór said.
Lúnasa have worked with such greats as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Holly Hunter (on a theatre project), and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They have toured extensively since forming in 1997 and have garnered numerous awards and accolades.
Their Glór concert is this Friday at 11.30pm.
Also on Friday, the band will play a short acoustic set to officially open the new irishshop.com (formerly the Record Rack) on Market Street, Ennis. The gig will start at 4pm with a set from Clare’s Got Talent finalists Socks in the Frying Pan and Lúnasa will perform around 4.30pm.