De Danann has played an influential role in the

development of modern Irish music. Although

they remained rooted in Ireland's musical
tradition, the band's virtuosic instrumental
skills and expressive vocalizing has enabled
them to reach out to a worldwide audience.
According to arle !itchner, music writer for
"he #all $treet %ournal and "he Irish cho,
&any serious discussion of the evolution of Irish
traditional music over the past 'uarter century
must include the enormous contribution of De
Danann.&
"he basic De Dannan sound is the rhythmic beat of the bouzouki played by Alec
Finn weaving in and out of the melodic fiddle of Frankie Gavin. "hese two
instruments were supported by accordion and bodhran. "he vocalists with De
Dannan fre'uently changed but they read like a #ho(s #ho of Irish music)
Dolores Keane, Mary Black, *aura +(,onnell, Eleanor Shanley, Tommy
Fleming and Johnny Moynihan. "he seeds that grew into De Danann were
planted during informal, $unday-morning .am sessions at !ughes /ub in
$piddal, a small town in ,ounty 0alway. "wo participants of these sessions,
1rankie 0avin, a fiery fiddler, and 2orkshire-born Alec 1inn, a bouzouki and
guitar player who had previously played with ,onnemara, agreed to pool their
resources. %oined by bodhran and bones player %ohnny &3ingo& *cDonogh and
ban.o player ,harlie /iggott, 0avin and 1inn began to perform as De Danann,
taking their name from the "uatha D4 Danann, a group of characters in Irish
mythology. /rior to recording their self-titled debut album in 5678, the group
added vocalist Dolores 9eane. +ver the past two decades, De Danann has gone
through numerous personnel changes with only 0avin and 1inn remaining from
the original group.
De Danann has received &:est ,eltic Album& awards from ;AI3D <;ational
Association of Independent 3ecord Distributors= for their albums Star-
Spangled Molly in 56>5, $ong for Ireland in 56>?, and Ballroom in 56>7.
"heir 566@ album Hibernian Rhapsody was inspired by the late 1reddie
*ercury of Aueen, with the title track based on Aueen's hit Bohemian Rhapsody.
!aving been together for over twenty-five years, songs popularized by the band
include) Maggie, My Irish Molly and Song for Ireland. "he band was
famous for its cross-cultural experiments. "hey recorded traditional Irish
versions of "he :eatles' - Hey Jude, Eleanor Rigby and, more recently, Here
Comes The Sun. As an indication of their diversity, they also recorded !andel(s
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from the :aro'ue era and they .okingly re-titled it
Arrial of the !ueen of Sheba in "al#ay.