A Concert Review And Interview With Altan,One Of Irelands Best Traditional Music Bands .

Many thousands of years ago a musicians life in Ireland was one of bringing new melodies with the stories and ballads from village to village . Before radio or television the only way for news to be broadcast was via the travelling storyteller, bard, or musician .
This mission to spread the musical word across the countryside was seen as inspirational and God given . The way of life for the troubadour was often was hard . With no payment apart from the odd bowl of soup the musician roamed the hills and valleys with no place to call home .
Because of these talented individuals it wasn’t long until Father and mother passed on these airs and ballads to their children who in turn handed them down from generation to generation . This tradition has been a musical heritage in Ireland for centuries and today in the twenty first century the tradition continues with bands like Altan who are passing on these tunes to audiences all over the globe .
These days the road is a lot easier to travel and the musician has technology at his or her fingertips . The resources of recording studios , Internet computers with huge rewards for the successful few .
It must be said that many of those tunes from the mists of time have survived and because of bands like Altan they will continue to be heard by people all over the world .
God has blessed Altan and their music with gentleness and their music is without doubt timeless .Altan have cemented themselves into cities and towns from Cork to New York , Peru to Timbuktu and back . They are one of the most precious exports Ireland has produced . They bring the Irish music and culture in great abundance to all walks of life .
Their music is as serious as traditional would ever want to get .
Their influence has crept into the soil and the seeds they have sewn
are bearing fruit with other bands being formed and assisting this long and wonderful expression that translates the music and words from the men and women ages past . History has recognises the suffering of the Irish people and that is the reason why Irish music has survived the passing of centuries . With life anything worth its salt has been suffered for .

The music Altan play is a spiritual experience that explodes on stage .
It was just before St Patricks Day when I first saw them live in Canberra, Australia . This five piece traditional band from Donegal are very gifted and possess the highest skill of musicianship I’ve heard .
They are leaving a legacy for future generation to continue this important role of music and story telling in their melodies and songs .
Invisible to the touch yet present there is an Altan experience .
Between the audience and the band a sense of mysticism hung in the air as the band played reels and jigs . A rare beauty was captured in the lines of the songs and I wondered at the original inspiration
where these melodies and songs came from .
At times the performance was hauntingly ethereal then suddenly without warning a spark would ignite in a flame of passion .
The flame became a wild fire on stage fuelled by driving fiddle and
Blazing bouzouki . The explosive vocals from Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh co-founder of Altan propelled the entire sound into an experience that left the crowd at the labour club totally mesmerised .
After each tune they clapped and yelled out various requests .
Altan in turn responded as best they could . I can remember shouting up “What About The Snowy Path”, Ciaran Curran the Bouzouki player replied , “Its a bit slippy “ to the laughter of the audience .
Most of the audience were made up of married couples . I overheard and recognised many accents from the North of Ireland .
After the gig I went back stage to meet the band and as I approach them I had this vision of them being a loud and hard bunch of people.
I thought to myself now you better watch the banter here and don’t
Get pushy with the questions . Anyway to my shock and surprise when I found them they were the friendliest folk you would ever hope to meet in your life . I mean like just minutes after playing the gig to a sell out crowd there they all were just sitting down quietly with a glass of orange juice in the hand . Altan is actually the name of Lock near Erical Mountain in North West Donegal in Ireland . It is one of those rugged and rough but uniquely beautiful places on this earth . If ever you should see it you will never forget it . Although Altan is a Gaelic name it is easy enough to say fro most people .
I first spoke to the only female member of Altan .
Maairead spoke to me in Irish and was wearing a waist length white woollen cardigan.over a black jump suit . Her very long silky blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders like mist over a mountain
I learned that her late husband Frankie Kennedy who played the flute came from Andersonstown in Belfast . It was Frankie who started the band and before he died of cancer in 1994 his wish was for Altan to make it in the business . Well his wish was certainly granted .
Frankie at 38 years old still very young died but his spirit definitely
with band . Mairead continued and over the years has seen a few changes to the line up in the band . Her younger sister Anna who was a member of Macalla sometimes lent her talents to Altan .
Mairead talked of the gentle people she had known in her life and as he spoke her eyes softly smiled as the crowd around us grew thicker .
It became a little noisy as other people wanted to meet her and talk .
I wished her well and said goodbye .
Next I met and spoke another member of Altan , Ciaran Tourish who comes from Buncrana in Donegal .Not long married he was missing his wife after spending a few months on tour with Altan . Even though he missed his wife he told me that he loves to play Irish music to people all over the world .
“We don’t go to play to Irish audiences “ he said
“ We go to play Irish music to anyone who wants to listen. Our audiences are young and old , black and white and all cultures. “
Thanking him for his time I said goodbye and moved on to meet Dermot Byrne the accordion player . Dermot was the business man in the band and in between words Dermot was selling CD’s to the people.
Rob Myles the tour manager was busy helping the roadies as wires plugs and instruments were being rolled up and packed up .
It was obvious that the evening was coming to a close .
I spoke quickly with David Sproule who played guitar that evening .
David was quiet and deeply focused when he spoke .
As the two cars were being called for I had a talk with Ciaran Curran who played bouzouki . We spoke about the roots of Irish music and the artists like the members of Altan who continue to bring it to the world .
When I mentioned Christy Moore Ciaran brightened up.
Some one in the band shouted over ,
“Oh you’ve just made his day. “
Needless to say Ciaran likes Christy Moore , and who doesn’t
The wealth of the musician can be seen in the people he or she plays with and admires and also in the songs he or she plays .
In the trust of Altan is an endless list of ancient tunes and songs as well as an huge amount of respect for it .
It lives in their heart and expresses itself with strength and courage .
That evening they sung in both the Irish and English language to the delight of all who had come and experienced Altan at the Canberra Labour Club . For myself the Altan experience was a new dimensional look into Irish traditional music . Altan took the moment and transposed
new direction into the word traditional creating complexity from the simple and what was say step music became a melody sprinting with an incredible pace . Altan has gained the respect worldwide and
without doubt they have silenced all their critics .


THE END