With a Celtic spirit culled from the rich musical traditions of their native County Donegal, Altan will perform on March 15th at The Reser.
Formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband, the late Frankie Kennedy, Altan has had an unwavering commitment to bring the beauty of traditional music, particularly that of Donegal fiddlers and singers, to contemporary audiences in a way that shines a unique light on its qualities.
The members of Altan have kept their promise by traveling with Irish presidents on state visits to Japan, North Korea and Italy. And in 2006, the Irish government honored Altan with an official postal stamp to celebrate the group’s contribution to the Irish culture.
The band’s latest album, “The Gap of Dreams,” celebrates the roots of its music in Donegal folklore. The title refers to that “gap” between this and the “other world,” which older fiddlers noted as the source for their music and inspiration, poetically describing encounters with the fairy folk or listening to tunes on the wind. In creativity, the “gap of dreams” is never shut.