In October 1997, Ireland’s all-star quintet Lúnasa released their début CD Lúnasa, a searing mix of concert and studio tracks gathered from their first prolific year together. It was immediately hailed as one of the freshest recordings of Irish music in years, called “moving, pulsating, and thrilling to the very marrow” by fRoots magazine and “a true must-have disc” by The Irish Voice. From the start, Lúnasa met with instant acclaim. Their first album became an immediate best-seller in Ireland, topping Hot Press’ folk charts and nominated one of the year’s top ten by the Irish Echo in the USA.

Since that auspicious beginning, Lúnasa has become one of the most sought-after bands on the international Celtic music scene. The band’s inventive arrangements and bass-driven grooves are steering Irish acoustic music into surprising new territory. On their first American visit, word-of-mouth led to sold-out shows and rave reviews. “A standing-room only crowd in New York confirmed Lúnasa’s reputation” … wrote The New York Times. “This is the hottest Irish acoustic group on the planet.”

Like the younger generation of Nashville musicians such as Béla Fleck or Edgar Meyer, pushing the boundaries of bluegrass into jazz and beyond, Lúnasa are redefining Irish music by going right to the heart of its rhythms. With its distinctive use of the upright acoustic bass -- brought front and center by Trevor Hutchinson’s remarkable playing -- teamed with percussive guitar, the group seeks out the essential heartbeat of a tune. “There are lots of great melodies in Irish music but often people don’t hear the rhythms underneath,” says founding member Sean Smyth. “We try to relate the swing or energy out of the music, using new rhythms, letting each instrument add its own unique layer. We’ll play the same tune over and over searching for the groove, exploring it. We let the music find its pulse.” The result is a sound that, though distinctly Irish in flavour, touches on jazz and other improvisational music forms.

Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honour of the Irish god Lugh, patron of the arts, Lúnasa is indeed 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 guitarist Donogh Hennessy, would form the dynamic rhythm section of The Sharon Shannon Band. Fiddler Sean Smyth is an All-Ireland champion who has played with Donal Lunny’s Coolfin; Kevin Crawford, considered to be among the finest flautists in Ireland played with the acclaimed traditional group Moving Cloud; and, piper Cillian Vallely (of the same talented musical family as brother Niall Vallely of Nomos).

As confirmation of their excellence live, Lúnasa won the "Coup de Coeur Mirror" prize for their performances at the Quebec City Summer Festival July 2003. This prize is defined as follows … "Recognizes an artist, in any popular music genre, who the jury agrees has given a truly outstanding performance. The concert must stand out from all the others on the basis of one or more criteria …".

In 2004, seven years and three albums on from that acclaimed début, the band revisited the immediate, live-in-the-studio recording style on The Kinnitty Sessions. Recorded before an invited audience of friends and supporters in the supposedly-haunted walls of Ireland’s Kinnitty Castle, the album is clearly the work of an ensemble in peak form. Sharpened by constant touring and endless refinement of the material in a live setting, The Kinnitty Sessions was the most inventive and intense recording yet from Lúnasa, capturing the vitality and interplay of their concert appearances with a rich, crystal-clear studio sound. The album received a nomination for Folk Album Of The Year in the BBC Radio 2 Awards. It was also voted Best Traditional Album of 2005 by the readers of Irish Music Magazine.

At the end of 2004 guitarist Donogh Hennessy decided to take some time out to develop his own projects. He was replaced by Paul Meehan - one of the most dazzling young guitar/multi-instrument talents in the Celtic genre today.

Between their stunning début (available in a remastered/expanded edition as Compass Records COM 4317) and the heights scaled on The Kinnitty Sessions, Lúnasa released three superb albums for the US Green Linnet label. Otherworld (1999), The Merry Sisters of Fate (2001), and Redwood (2003) were each met with wide critical accolades, and furthered the development of the band’s richly detailed, driving vision of acoustic music. The albums were supported by worldwide touring, including Ireland, the US, the UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, Italy, Holland, and Spain.

In 2001 Lúnasa went to Hollywood (and performed in front of 13,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl). In 2005 Hollywood came to Lúnasa … in the form of their debut composing for a feature film, ‘Irish Jam’. Lúnasa also recorded two songs for the soundtrack of ‘Irish Jam’ with ex-Brookside Babe and now film star (of ‘Land Girls’, ‘Rogue Trader’), ANNA FRIEL. The film also starred US film star/comedian EDDIE GRIFFIN (‘Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo’, ‘Undercover Brother’).

Lúnasa’s sixth album Sé (pronounced shay – the Irish for 6) was released in 2006. Sé received even more critical acclaim than the usual high praise which has greeted each album release. The Irish Times made it their CD Of The Week journalist Siobhan Long writing “Lúnasa have embarked on another journey, full of hairpin bends and vertiginous peaks, fuelled by an insatiable appetite for reconnoitering routes previously uncharted…. Sé is a snapshot of a band whose rigorous attention to detail repays the listener time and time again. Hidden treasures lurk in every nook and cranny within.”

Possibly the hardest touring band in Irish music kept up the intensity through 2006 with a schedule of 140 shows. They started the year with a 1,400 sell-out at Celtic Connections, Glasgow … then on to Hawaii; mainland USA (3 tours over the course of the year); a dozen countries in Europe … finishing up in Japan in December. One of the highlights of the year was Lúnasa’s headlining appearance at Dublin’s National Concert Hall on 8th June. The concert was recorded by RTE Radio One for national and European broadcast.

2007 celebrated 10 years of Lúnasa. The BBC showed their support by filming their headlining show at Glasgow’s international jamboree, Celtic Connections – making Lúnasa the only band to have been filmed twice by the BBC at the event. Soon after the band set off on a 7-week jaunt that saw them travel across Australia (taking in all the major cities), on to Alaska and back through shows in 13 US states including Florida in the South. In March Irish Music Magazine gave the band the front page and a major feature celebrating their … “Decade of Excellence”.

Founding member Trevor Hutchison spent much of 2007 pouring over the band’s body of work to select the tracks that best represent not only the energy, drive and fire that Lúnasa is known for, but also the uniqueness of their compositions and arrangement style. Along the way, the band made a side trip to the Compass Sound Studio in Nashville to re-record “Aibreann” and “Morning Nightcap” as a way of illustrating the sound of the current lineup and in the process redefined these band favorites as classics of their repertoire. The end result is a mind-blowing showcase of arguably the greatest instrumental group ever to exist in Irish music. Lúnasa’s 2008 CD release, ‘The Story So Far...’ includes expansive liner notes on the band’s history and an extensive photo journal of the past 11 years.

In 2008 Lúnasa were chosen as artists in residence for Leitrim County Council’s traditional music residency which was designed to promote and develop traditional music both in and of Leitrim. A uniquely special and mutually beneficial experience for all parties concerned and a remarkably successful one at that. Culminating in the release of a double CD featuring 28 Leitrim musicians and the 5 members of Lúnasa, ‘The Leitrim Equation’ garnered rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic.

Kevin Crawford had this to say at the launch of the CD in Dublin’s Button Factory in May 2009;

“Looking back, the residency exceeded all our expectations and was an important and extremely enjoyable chapter in the life of Lunasa. Spending most of the year touring abroad, we were initially attracted to the idea of not just performing in Leitrim but interacting with the local community and from the outset, the hospitality and welcome we received made the residency a very special experience. In Leitrim, we discovered a humble place, at ease with its rich tradition but not taking it for granted as far as the future is concerned. We heard great stories of the history of Leitrim music in the homes of Ben Lennon and Michael McNamara, and saw at first hand how this local tradition is being maintained, developed and passed onto future generations in the wonderful music classes all across the county. We visited hospitals, community centres and schools where everyone seemed to have a tune, song or story for us and we also played countless sessions in halls, homes and public houses where the interaction between young and old was a pleasure to witness. We have made new friends and learned a lot too - it was an honour to be a part of... “

2009/10 Update:
• The band recorded 5 tracks for Natalie Merchant’s new album - "Leave Your Sleep" (Nonesuch Records).
• Headline appearance at Celtic Connections, Glasgow including TV and Radio live sessions.
• Invitation to perform at The White House
• Touring in Ireland, UK, USA, Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Belgium


Lúnasa’s forthcoming album release ‘Lá Nua’ (New Day) will be the first independent release for the band and will be issued on their own newly established record label. Alongside traditional CD licensing and distribution, a worldwide digital release is lined up with the US digital aggregator, Bug Digital.

The Lá Nua release will be supported by extensive international touring throughout the year. The campaign commenced with a gala performance at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with US folk legend, Natalie Merchant. The concert was reviewed as “one of the highlights of the 30th Anniversary celebrations” for Celtic Connections.