New Music Monday 3/8/2010 - Lunasa

This week (and next week as well) I will be blogging about irish music in honor of St. Patrick's Day. It's getting so close I can almost taste the corned beef!! I guess I could have went with a more well known irish group like Flogging Molly or Clannad or The Pogues, but I wanted to post about someone you may not hear of unless you read this blog. If you love celtic music, you will love Lunasa.



Their album 'The Story So Far' is a collection of previously recorded tracks from their six other records. Sort of a "best of" if you will. This would certainly be a good place to start if you don't own any of those other albums.



Lunasa is an instrumental group and probably one of the best to come around as far as traditional Irish music goes. They were founded in 1996 when musicians Seán Smyth, Trevor Hutchinson, and Donogh Hennessy briefly toured through Scandinavia. This is the kind of music you'd hear in the small town pubs across Ireland. Here is a little sample of 'The Story So Far.'

'Morning Nightcap'


'Black River'


'Cregg's Pipes'


'Punch'


'Eanair' - gorgeous!


'The Last Pint' - this is live - LOVE the part where someone yells 'bastard' in a thick Irish accent before they start playing!!! Ha ha!!!


If Lunasa doesn't get you in the irish spirit, nothing will!! They still go on tour each year and I am hoping someday I will be able to see them live at Celticfest in the city. Happy listening!!!!