Frankie Gavin & Alec Finn have been the backbone of De Dannan since the band first played in Spiddal back in 1974. Working with musicians of the caliber of Johnny ‘Ringo’ MacDonagh, Martin O’Connor, Jackie Daly and Caroline Lavelle, over the years their rich diversity of sound has thrilled audiences world-wide, reaching the heart of traditional music with the great sean nos singer Sean O Conaire, and crossing myriad boundaries with their unique arrangements of well-known tunes such as Hey Jude and The Arrival of the Queen of Sheeba.

How The West Was Won is a double album celebrating the best of 25 years from De Dannan. Dolores Keane, Maura O’Connell, Mary Black, Eleanor Shanley and Tommy Fleming are all featured on this terrific album. It features sixteen classic De Dannan numbers, including one from each of the above singers; seven previously unreleased live tracks; and two new recordings, one of which introduces their latest discovery, singer Andrew Murray from Inisbofin.

‘Chicken Reel’ is from his and Martin O’Connor’s schooldays, Sean O Conaire is deeply touching, Dolores Keane projects in on ‘Rambling Irishman’. Harlem Gospel singers and Tommy Fleming grate against Mary Black, but the finesse and crisp joy of ‘Dinkie’s’, ‘Connie’ and ‘Hey Jude’ alone demand space for this timeless album’s 100 minutes on every shelf. – Fintan Vallely

‘How the West Was Won captures the best of De Dannan’s last 25 years in a nutshell and raises a glass to the promise of the future. Long may they run. – John O’Regan

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