Irish band Danú brings St. Patrick's Day concert to the Hylton Performing Arts Center

Called a “powerhouse band” and a “spirit-raising concoction” by The Irish Times, Danú brings a high energy, authentically Irish performance to the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 4 p.m. The Celtic band will perform traditional Irish jigs, contemporary Celtic tunes and its own signature hits just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. 

The program for this performance features an exciting collection of traditional Celtic tunes and songs composed by Danú’s own members. “Clancy’s Farewell to Whiskey,” a song by the band’s guitarist, Donal Clancy, flows into a new arrangement of a traditional Breton tune. “The Highest Hill in Sligo” combines a traditional Irish reel from County Sligo with a reel by the band’s fiddler, Oisin McAuley, and finishes with a tune Danú learned from a musician in Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. The performance concludes with a collection of various dance tunes that are favorites of the band, including a barn dance, a pipe march and a reel.

Danú, named after the Celtic mother-goddess in Irish mythology, hails from historic County Waterford, Ireland, where the original band members first met at the Oireachtas Festival in 1994. The Irish ensemble has since performed around the world, including major concert engagements in the United Kingdom, India, Israel, the United States and Europe. The band has won numerous awards, including the “Best Traditional Group” BBC Award and the “Best Overall Traditional Act” Irish Music Magazine Award. Danú has released seven albums on the Shanachie label and recorded a live DVD, “One Night Stand,” which was filmed at the Vicar St. in Dublin. Its live performances are often broadcast on NPR, the CBC and the BBC.

The band’s current lineup includes vocalist, flutist and whistle player Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh; guitarist Donal Clancy; fiddler and bouzouki player Eamon Doorley; bodhran and pipe player Martin O’Neill; fiddler Oisin McAuley; and accordionist Benny McCarthy. Together, the members of this renowned Celtic band are sure to give audiences an unforgettable night as they are taken on a musical journey to Ireland. Irish Music Magazine says of the band’s performances, “(Danú) stirs the blood and lifts the heart.”

A pre-performance discussion, free to ticket holders, begins 45 minutes prior to the performance in the Hylton Center’s Buchanan Partners Art Gallery. 

Tickets for DANÚ are $28, $36 and $44. Family Friendly: tickets for youth through grade 12 half price when accompanied by an adult. Visit the box office (open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit HyltonCenter.org. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus at 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va., 20110. FREE parking is available in the lot next to the Hylton Center.

For more information about the Hylton Performing Arts Center, please visit HyltonCenter.org. Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/HyltonCenter and follow us on Twitter at @Hylton_PAC.

This blog post was written by Amanda Rodriguez, with assistance from Jill Graziano Laiacona.