Search - Navan :: Mairneas

Songs in the six living Celtic languages.

Pink Noodle | Duncanville, TX USA | 02/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bio / Background:



Amid today's ample feast of well-dressed Celtic musical offerings lingers a gnawing hunger for something organic. Navan serves it up raw and fresh. From Madison, Wisconsin this is Celtic unaccompanied song, on four voices, in the languages of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. Navan's melodies, harmonies and arrangements are a delicious blend of traditional and original, with lyrics drawn directly from the Celtic literary repertoire.



"It rooted me to the floor by my very bones."



-- Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin, Irish musician, historian and author of A Pocket History of Irish Traditional Music, (Dublin: O'Brien, 1998).



Less than a year after Navan's formation, the international Irish music organization Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann took notice and invited the group to be a featured performer at the 1998 Midwest Regional Fleadh Cheoil in Detroit, Michigan. Navan has since traveled throughout the Midwest performing at Celtic festivals and concert halls, often in conjunction with workshops in Gaelic traditional singing. This year festivals will carry them nationwide. Their debut CD, An Cuimhin Leat (Do You Remember), was released in March of 2000 and currently receives airplay worldwide. Including songs in Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Cornish, it offers a tantalizing glimpse of long-hidden but still vibrant Celtic musical and literary traditions. Released in May of 2003, their second CD, Mairneas (Voyage), expands their recorded repertoire to include works in each of the six living Celtic languages.



"Therapeutic!"



-- Tim Dennehy, announcer for Ireland's national radio station RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann).



With overwhelmingly positive reactions to both their CDs and their live performances, Navan continues to carry their unique blend of vocals to an ever increasing audience. Their addictive harmonies are sure to refresh even the most satiated fan of Celtic music

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