The best trad music this week: Danú, Síle Denvir and The Sick & Indigent Song Club

Two singers with special voices among this week’s picks


Saturday, November 18

Danú

Ionad Cultúrtha, Ballyvourney. 8.30pm, €15/10. ionadculturtha.ie

Now over two decades on the road, Danú have long had a reputation for fiery, drum-tight arrangements and virtuoso ensemble playing. Sean-nós singer Nell Ní Chróinín joined the ranks of the band last year, and her arrival has marked a reinvigoration that’s propelling them towards new audiences at home and away. Long schooled in the lesser known, as well as the “big” songs of Cúl Aodha, Ní Chróinín is a singer to watch as she spreads her wings beyond the world of solo sean-nós in which she was reared.

Friday, November 24

Síle Denvir

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An Góilín, The Teacher's Club, Parnell Sq, Dublin. 9pm, €3. goilin.com

Sean-nós singer, harpist and a founding member of the group Líadan, Síle Denvir is a regular contributor to various TV and radio programmes,and the presenter of TG4's Sean-Nós. Her stunning 2016 album, Caithréim: Ceol agus Amhráin ó Dhrámaí an Phiarsaigh, was based on her most recent research project on music and song from the plays of Patrick Pearse. Tonight, she is the guest of An Góilín, a weekly singing club that's at the heart of the Dublin singing tradition.

The Sick & Indigent Song Club

DC Music Club, 20, Camden Row, Dublin. 9pm, €15/13. musiclee.ie

Shinbone Alley is the third studio album from this deliciously rakish genre-hopping six-piece. Its genesis lay in an unplanned collaboration between ex-punk/alt-country stalwart Gary Fitzpatrick and Scottish singer and ukulele player Angie McLaughlin, but since then, the band expanded as Shane McGrath, Christian Volkmann, Gerry Fitzpatrick, and Sheila Sullivan joined in the fun. Shinbone Alley brings together for the first time a selection of both band and audience favourites from the maritime tradition.