Danú? More Like DaDO By Emily Pisacreta

           Quick quiz: What is a bouzouki? What about a bodhran? Or how about a uilleann pipe? No, believe it or not, I did not make those words up, they are all instruments played by Danú at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport on March 10^th, 2015.

Danú is a traditional Irish folk band made up of members from all over Ireland: Murieann Nic Amhlaoibh who sang lead also played the flute and whistle, Benny McCarthy who played the button accordion, Oisin McAuley on the fiddle, Eamon Doorley on the Irish bouzouki (which looks like a banjo in case you were still wondering from before) and Donal Clancy who wailed on the guitar while Martin O’Neill jammed out on the bodhran (an Irish drum).  Two artists from outside the band, Liam Flanagan on the banjo, and Ivan Goff who played the uilleann pipes (the Irish version of bag pipes) joined the group. Danú entertained an extremely enthusiastic crowd with songs from all over Ireland, some instrumental others sang in Irish and even more in English.

            In one of his many amusing anecdotes, Doorley told the crowd that Danú has been together as a band for twenty years, and after the concert I witnessed, it was not hard to see why. When the group was not energetically bopping along to the folky fiddle of their lively jigs or swaying to their more emotional songs, they were talking and joking with each other and the audience. It was easy for me to see that this group was on

stage to just have fun and share a piece of their home to a group of people who were very excited to receive it. The crowd was engaged throughout the entire performance, even going as far as to sing along with the group during one of the more upbeat songs, Willie Crotty. The show ended in a standing ovation, which prompted an encore performance that left the audience satisfied. I went into this concert expecting to be bored by weird, old, lackluster Irish instrumental music. Instead, I got to witness an amazing fiddle solo (seriously, McAuley was absolutely incredible), I got to learn a little bit about Ireland, and I got to hear bunch of new songs that I’m sure I will be singing for the next few weeks at least.

            I am officially Danú’s newest fan. I am in love with their upbeat jigs, their slow, emotional ballads and their fun traditional Irish songs. They put on a great show filled with comedy, music and heavy Irish accents. I went into this concert unsure of what to expect, and came out with a list of new songs to download onto my phone. If you get the chance to see this concert live, do not pass it up. Overall, on the 1980’s slang scale of bunk to bangin’, this concert was definitely bangin’.