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THE BAND
Cillian Vallely
Trevor Hutchinson
Kevin Crawford
Ed Boyd
Sean Smyth
Colin Farrell
About Lúnasa
Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honour of the Irish god Lugh, Lúnasa was formed in 1997 from members of some of the greatest Irish groups of the previous decade, an early review from Folk Roots magazine describing the band as an “Irish music dream team”. From the start, the band’s complex arrangements and unique sound reshaped the boundaries of traditional music and energized audiences the world over. Critical acclaim followed, The Irish Echo describing the band as the “the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet”; MOJO magazine named the band "the new gods of Irish music,” adding that “nobody since the Bothies has wielded such a thrilling rhythmic underlay.” Billboard raved that “anybody who listens can’t help but find them contagious.”
Having since sold over a quarter of a million records and performed over 2,500 shows across 36 countries, Lunasa has won multiple awards and become one of the most influential bands in the history of traditional music. Collaborations with singers Natalie Merchant, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, and Tim O’Brien and high-profile concerts at The Hollywood Bowl, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Glastonbury Festival and Bercy Arena Paris helped broaden the band’s audience and cement it place at the forefront of contemporary Irish music.
Lunasa’s current lineup features: Trevor Hutchinson, who achieved fame as the bassist with the The Waterboys: piper Cillian Vallely was a member of Riverdance and recorded with Bruce Springsteen: Flute player Kevin Crawford, considered one of Ireland’s greatest flute players, was a member of Moving Cloud: award-winning fiddler Sean Smyth, who performed with Donal Lunny’s legendary Coolfin and accordionist Alan Kelly; Colin Farrell is a multiple award winning fiddler, who has toured with Project West, Grada and Michael McGoldrick: Guitarist Ed Boyd made a name for himself in the UK folkscene with bands such as Flook, Kate Rusby, and Cara Dillon.
Currently the band is touring their most recent cd, “Cas”. Released in the spring of 2018, the album breaks new ground for the band, and features for the first time guest singers
"this album is brilliant with a capital B…...a new feather in the cap of the talented and influential musicians we know and love as Lunasa” Irish American News
“an Irish music dream team” FOLK ROOTS (UK)
“the hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet.” IRISH VOICE (USA)
“Lúnasa have catapulted both themselves and the music onto another plane where creative
juices reign supreme.” – THE IRISH TIMES (IRELAND)
"the new gods of Irish music… . Lúnasa’s musicianship is awesome… ..nobody since the
Bothies has wielded such a thrilling rhythmic underlay.” – MOJO (UK)
“Lúnasa are at that place where the past meets the future… . they reveal a spirit few of their
contemporaries can equal, as they seem to choose from a palette containing a range of
sounds and moods not available to more mortal players.” HOT PRESS (IRELAND)
“anybody who listens can’t help but find them contagious.” BILLBOARD (USA)
‘Lúnasa reigns as the new Celtic royalty’ BOSTON HERALD (USA)
Band Members
Cillian Vallely
A native of Co. Armagh in the north of Ireland, uilleann piper Cillian Vallely grew up in a renowned traditional Irish music family. His parents Brian and Eithne Vallely founded the legendary Armagh Pipers’ Club, an organization that has fostered the revival of traditional music in the north of Ireland for over fifty years. In recent years, he has toured and recorded with Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Merchant, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Tim O’Brien, and Riverdancein addition to recording as a guest on over 70 albums. He released his highly acclaimed solo album “The Raven’s Rock” in 2016
Kevin Crawford
Born in Birmingham, England, Kevin Crawford’s early life was one long journey into Irish music and Co. Clare, where he eventually moved to in 1989. He was a founding member of critically-acclaimed band Moving Cloud, featuring Siobhan Peoples, PJ King, Pat Marsh, John Moloney and Paul McSherry.He now tours the world with Ireland’s cutting-edge traditional band, Lúnasa, called by some the “Bothy Band of the 21st Century.”More recent projects include ‘The Teetotallers’, a supergroup trio that also features Martin Hayes and John Doyle. ‘The Drunken Gaugers’ a trio project with Dylan Foley & Patrick Doocey, and a brand new recording ‘Music and Mischief’ with Lúnasa’s Colin Farrell and Patrick Doocey.
Trevor Hutchinson
From Cookstown, County Tyrone, Trevor played bass with the Waterboys from 1986 to 1991, recording Fisherman’s Blues (1988) and Room to Roam (1990), the latter featuring Sharon Shannon. Later he made three albums with the Sharon Shannon Band: 1991’s ‘Sharon Shannon’, 1994’s ‘Out the Gap’, and 1997’s ‘Each Little Thing’. A much-in-demand musician, engineer and producer, Trevor has recorded with Moving Cloud, Dermot Byrne, Eric Bibb, Máire Breatnach, and Eileen Ivers, and has engineered and produced albums for Lunasa, Grada, Donal Lunny & Frank Harte.
Ed Boyd
Ed Boyd, who permanently joined Lúnasa in 2012, is widely regarded as the finest acoustic guitarist on the European folk circuit. He is a founding member of the BBC Folk Award-winning group Flook, with whom he recorded 4 critically acclaimed albums, and has toured with many of the top UK folk acts, such as singers Cara Dillon and Kate Rusby, flutist Michael McGoldrick, and Irish band Buille.
Sean Smyth
Lúnasa founder Sean Smythfrom Straide, County Mayo is amultiple All-Ireland champion on both fiddle and whistle. His classic 1993 solo debut, ‘The Blue Fiddle’, introduced his music to the traditionalmusic touring world and was named one of the year’s ten best albums by The Irish Echo. Sean appears on several other recordings including ‘Ceol Tigh Neachtain’, ‘Music at Matt Molloy’s’, Brendan O’Regan’s ‘A Wind of Change’, Alan Kelly’s ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘Mosaic’, and Dónal Lunny’s ‘Coolfin’. Sean is also a practising medical doctor.
Colin Farrell
Born in Manchester, England, into a musical family from Co.Galway and Co.Cavan, Colin Farrell is an award-winning and virtuosic fiddler and composer. He has made a name for himself performing and recording with an array of great musicians in Europe and the U.S., including groups such as Flook, Grada, Julie Fowlis, and The Michael McGoldrick Band. Colin’s 2010 solo album Make A Note, released in 2015, was awarded "Instrumental Album of the Year" by LiveIreland..
