Frankie Gavin and De Dannan

Frankie Gavin is one of the genuine legends of Irish music. From his first tv appearance playing the tin-whistle when he was seven, through sixteen albums with the seminal Dé Dannan, seven solo albums, his adventures in the realms of Jazz, Gospel, and Klezmer, to appearances and recordings with such luminaries as Earl Scruggs, Stephane Grapelli, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and The Rolling Stones, ‘the prince of Irish fiddlers' is one of the outstanding performers of the past thirty years. In the past year alone Frankie Gavin and his band have played support to the Rolling Stones at Slane Castle, performed twice to a full to capacity Croke Park (during national sporting occasions), performed with the U.A.E. Philharmonic Orchestra in Dubai, performed with the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra during a ten week tour of the USA and performed at The White House for President Bush.

Part of Frankie Gavin's enduring appeal lies in his astounding technical ability and unceasing quest for innovation - musical pieces more commonly associated with the like of the Beatles and George Frideric Handel are now common place in Frankie's repertoire as an Irish musician. Most pertinent of all is the knack he has for imparting to his audience his own enthusiasm, the sheer joy, the magic of great music-making.

2009 will see Frankie Gavin back on the road and with new De Dannan members. The new line up will feature Frankie Gavin (Fiddle/Flute/Whistles), Damien Mullane (Accordian), Eric Cunningham (Percussion/Flutes/Whistles), Mike Galvin (Bouzouki/Guitar) and Michelle Lally (Vocals). The official launch of the new band took place at an exclusive concert at the 2200 capacity Royal Theatre & Events Centre in Castlebar on August 5th during The World Fleadh festival where many of the former members of the band came together with the new members for a celebration of the bands history.

'Electrifying' is an adjective that's too often used to describe certain performances but this is one instance where it's absolutely unavoidable. If you've never been lucky enough to see Frankie Gavin perform live, prepare to be... shocked.