Lunasa

Irish Traditional Music
lunasa.ie

About the BandPraiseVideosFestival Schedule

Lúnasa, one of the most influential bands in the history of Irish traditional music, celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2017. Named after an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honor of the Irish god Lugh, the group that Folk Roots magazine once called an “Irish music dream team” was formed from members of some of Ireland’s greatest bands and over the years has proven its mettle time and again, having sold over a quarter of a million records, performed more than 2,000 shows in high-profile concert venues across 36 countries, and collaborated with many notable artists outside the tradition. Two decades ago they ascended to the forefront of contemporary Irish music, and there they’ve remained, a leading voice in the genre and the standard against which others are compared.

Lúnasa’s current lineup includes Trevor Hutchinson, who achieved fame as the bassist with the The Waterboys; uilleann piper Cillian Vallely, who was a member of Riverdance and recorded with Bruce Springsteen; Kevin Crawford, widely considered one of Ireland’s greatest flute players; fiddler Colin Farrell, who has performed and recorded with an array of great musicians including such groups as Flook, Grada, Karen Casey, John Doyle, Tim O’Brien, The Elders, Julie Fowlis, and The Michael McGoldrick Band; and guitarist Ed Boyd, known on the UK folk circuit for his work with bands such as Flook, Kate Rusby, and Cara Dillon.

Their inventive arrangements and bass driven grooves have steered Irish acoustic music into surprising new territory. Their recordings have been hailed as some of the best and most important world music albums anywhere, while their blend of intelligence, innovation, virtuosity, and passion has brought them to the forefront of Celtic music.

Legendary Irish fiddler Kevin Burke once said that “maintaining the unique, intimate qualities of a musical tradition while at the same time meeting and fulfilling the demands of the contemporary music world is a difficult juxtaposition to achieve, yet Lúnasa have managed to accomplish exactly that.” From the start, the band’s complex arrangements and unique sound reshaped the boundaries of traditional music and energized audiences the world over. Twenty years on, the group continues to evolve, playing new music that is as state-of-the-art and aggressively infectious today as it was so long ago. With a new album set for 2017 and a robust touring schedule to match, Lúnasa continues to set the standard and will lead the way for decades to come.


Colin Farrell – Fiddles and Whistles

Born in Manchester, England, into a very musical family to parents from Co.Galway and Co.Cavan, Colin started playing the fiddle and tinwhistle from an early age and won numerous titles at the Fleadh Cheoil. He began playing with St. Malachy’s Ceili Band when he was 12 years old, and was a founding member of the band Ceile, with whom he recorded the album Mancunian Way. Since then, he has made a name for himself performing and recording with an array of great musicians in Europe and the US, including such groups as Flook, Grada, Karen Casey, John Doyle, Tim O’Brien, The Elders, Julie Fowlis, The Michael McGoldrick Band and is currently playing with the band Lúnasa. Colin has also played and recorded with numerous dance shows such as Spirit of Ireland, Dance of Desire and Magical Rhythms of Ireland. Colin is also a composer whose tunes have been played and recorded by numerous bands and musicians. In 2005, Colin was awarded a Masters Degree in Music from Limerick University. Living in Florida since 2005, when not touring Colin has been teaching at schools and various camps around the US and Europe. Colin’s 2010 solo debut album ‘On The Move’ was named one of the years 10 best albums by The Irish Echo and his second album ‘Make A Note’ released in 2015 was awarded Instrumental Album of the year by liveIreland.

Kevin Crawford - Flutes and Whistles

Born in Birmingham – UK, Kevin’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, to where he eventually moved while in his 20’s.
He was a member of Moving Cloud, the Clare-based band who recorded such critically-acclaimed albums as Moving Cloud and Foxglove, and he also recorded with Grianán, Raise The Rafters, Joe Derrane and Sean Tyrrell and appears on the 1994 recording ‘The Sanctuary Sessions’.
A virtuoso flute player, Kevin has recorded two solo albums, ‘’D’Flute Album’ and ‘In Good Company’ and ‘On Common Ground’ with bandmate Cillian Vallely . Kevin also tours with Martin Hayes and John Doyle as The Teetotallers.

Trevor Hutchinson - Stand-Up Bass

From Cookstown, County Tyrone, Trevor played bass with the Waterboys from 1986 to 1991, recording Fisherman’s Blues (1988) and Room to Roam (1990), the latter featuring Sharon Shannon.
Later he made three albums with the Sharon Shannon Band: 1991’s ‘Sharon Shannon’, 1994’s ‘Out the Gap’, and 1997’s ‘Each Little Thing’.
A much-in-demand musician, Trevor has also recorded with Moving Cloud, Altan’s Dermot Byrne, Eric Bibb, Máire Breatnach, and Eileen Ivers of Riverdance fame. Trevor and the original Waterboys re-formed in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary and tour their legendary album ‘Fisherman’s Blues’.

Cillian Vallely – Uilleann Pipes and Whistles

A gifted Armagh uilleann pipes and low whistle player, Cillian comes from a renowned and talented musical dynasty.
He has spent most of the recent past touring in the US, performing with bands such as New York-based Whirligig, Paddy O’Brien’s Chulrua and with Clare fiddler Seamus Connolly.
Cillian was featured as uilleann pipes soloist in the Broadway production of ’Riverdance’ and toured with Tim O’Brien in ‘The Crossing’. He and his brother Niall recorded the album ‘Callan Bridge’. In 2013 Cillian was invited to guest on Bruce Springsteen’s 2014 album release, ‘High Hopes’.

Ed Boyd – Guitar

Ed Boyd, who permanently joined Lúnasa in 2012, is widely regarded as the finest acoustic guitarist on the European folk circuit. He is a founding member of the BBC Folk Award-winning group Flook and the guitarist of choice for artists such as Cara Dillon and Kate Rusby.




Bridging the gap between the energy of the small pub and the grandiosity of a concert performance … panoramic beauty … an absolute corker.Jazz Weekly

Jaunty jigs, melancholy melodies, mad passion, soft beauty. A wall of sound created by traditional Irish acoustic instruments enhanced by the restrained, but not understated, playing of the orchestra.International Review of Music

An Irish music dream teamFolk Roots Magazine

Maintaining the unique, intimate qualities of a musical tradition while at the same time meeting and fulfilling the demands of the contemporary music world is a difficult juxtaposition to achieve, yet Lúnasa have managed to accomplish exactly that.Kevin Burke, Legendary Irish Fiddler

Let’s just say that this is one of the best folk and orchestra combinations I’ve heard and leave it at that, the arrangements are simply sublime.Fatea Magazine (UK)

The lively thrill of Lúnasa with the awe-inspiring power of one of Ireland’s most celebrated orchestras results in a powerhouse record.Irish America


SATURDAY
Workshop Lane
1:30-2:30pm
Bass w/Trevor Hutchinson (Lúnasa) & Joe Phillips (Jayme Stone’s Folklife)
2:00-3:00pm
Fiddle w/Colin Farrell (Lúnasa), Michael Cleveland, & Josh Richards (Flamekeeper)
3:30-4:30pm
Guitar w/Ed Boyd (Lúnasa) & Stache Wyslouch (Molsky’s Mtn Drifters)

Main Stage
11:10pm – 12:00AM

SUNDAY
Main Stage
5:10 – 6:00pm

2017 Festival Performers | Wheatland Music Festival | Tickets 
Become a Member! | wheatlandmusic.org