Altan

One of Ireland's most popular bands, Altan was formed in Gweedore, County Donegal, in 1987. The band was originally a duo formed by singer and fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband, flautist Frankie Kennedy, who died on September 19, 1994. After two albums under their own names, they are now an Irish Celtic folk band, covering traditional tunes, sometimes in medley form. Since their 1989 debut Horse with a Heart, Altan have recorded for the Green Linnet and Virgin labels, peaking in popularity with Blackwater (1996), Runaway Sunday (1997) and Another Sky (2000). Between collaborations with artists such as Dolly Parton, Enya, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt and Alison Krauss, the band, who sing in the Donegal dialect, celebrated their quarter-century with the album 25th Anniversary Celebration (1990), followed by Gleann Nimhe (2012), The Widening Gyre (2015) and The Gap of Dreams (2018). Silent since the Covid-19 pandemic, Altan marked his return in 2024 with the album Donegal.

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