KGNU’s Rodger Hara speaks with Benny McCarthy of Danú about the 30-plus-year journey of the acclaimed Irish traditional band Danú, their deep roots in Irish session culture, and their return to Boulder’s Macky Auditorium.
McCarthy discusses the band’s approach to recreating the intimate energy of an Irish pub session on concert stages around the world, the making of their recent live album, and the musicians who make up the internationally based ensemble. The conversation also explores the enduring connections between Irish music traditions and Newfoundland culture, along with what audiences can expect from Danú’s upcoming Colorado performance. (Air Date 2/25/26).
Listen to the interview here:
Transcript:
Rodger Hara: Good morning. I’ve got Benny McCarthy on the line. Benny is one of the founders of the band Danú out of Waterford, Ireland. Benny, good morning. Welcome to KGNU.
Benny McCarthy: Good morning, Roger. I’m doing very well. It’s wet here in Ireland as we’re talking. We’ve lots of liquid sunshine falling out of the sky at the moment, but it keeps us green.
Rodger Hara: Tell me a little bit about the band, your role in founding it, and how things are going.
Benny McCarthy: We’re into our 31st year this year. Last year we celebrated 30 years. We founded the band in 1995. We’re a traditional Irish band, and every one of us is deeply involved in the traditional music of Ireland. We all grew up immersed in the music and songs, surrounded by peers and incredible musicians we were fortunate to learn from and play with.
We’re a seven-piece band, and we play all kinds of traditional Irish music — old jigs, reels, hornpipes, and songs. We also have a wonderful singer, Nelly Cronin, who’s been with the band for the past 10 years. She’s a native Irish speaker, so she sings in both Irish and English. We perform great story ballads too, including one called “Master McGrath,” about a famous racing dog from near where I come from.
We try to create a fun night for people, encouraging them to clap along, tap their feet, and enjoy the spirit of Ireland. We like to bring the atmosphere of an Irish pub session with us when we tour the United States.
Rodger Hara: And on March 11th you’ll be at Macky Auditorium. Have you performed there before?
Benny McCarthy: Many times. We’ve been to Boulder quite a bit. We were there a few years ago, and actually one of the tracks on our latest live album was recorded at Macky Auditorium. The album is called The Pearl Album. It’s a 30-track live collection recorded all over the world.
We record all our concerts, and while going through the archives I found a version of “Murphy’s Hornpipe” and “Lord Gordon’s Reel” from Macky Auditorium that just had an incredible energy. The audience played a huge role in that. There was something special in the room.
Maybe it was the altitude.
Rodger Hara: Boulder’s only about a mile high. How do you deal with the altitude?
Benny McCarthy: Sometimes you feel it, especially if we fly in the same day from somewhere at sea level. I remember the first time we played there, they had oxygen backstage. You definitely notice it. But if you have a day or two to acclimate, you’re grand.
Rodger Hara: Hearing your live recordings takes me back to sessions in Irish pubs. The way the band fits together creates such a strong sense of community.
Benny McCarthy: That’s the tradition we grew up in. The perfect environment for this music is sitting in a pub, kitchen, or house with great musicians, all playing together as one voice. Recreating that feeling on stage can be tricky because the stage is less natural than the session itself.
We work very hard on our sound to make large auditoriums feel intimate, like a snug corner in a pub. Our technical crew is a huge part of that. We want audiences to feel like they’re part of the session with us.
Rodger Hara: And that connection with the audience feeds the performance.
Benny McCarthy: Absolutely. I’m very proud of the new album. It’s made up of live recordings from about 25 different concert halls over the last several years. Listening back brought back wonderful memories.
I’m the accordion player, so I suppose I’m the oddball in the band. But I get to sit beside some of the finest musicians I’ve ever played with.
We’ve got musicians from all over Ireland and beyond. Nelly Cronin, our singer, is from Cork. Eamonn Dooley on bouzouki is from Dublin and now lives in Scotland. Tony Byrne, our guitarist, is also from Dublin. Ivan Goff, our piper and flute player, is based in New York. Our fiddle player, Oisín McAuley from Donegal, lives in Massachusetts and works with Berklee.
And we have a newer member from Newfoundland, which might be the most Irish place outside Ireland. His name is Billy Sutton, and he plays bodhrán, mandolin, and sings. Newfoundland’s musical traditions are incredibly close to ours.
Every show is different. There’s freedom within the arrangements, depending on the energy in the room. That’s part of what keeps it exciting.
Rodger Hara: Colorado audiences have a deep love for traditional Irish music, and I know they’ll be excited to hear Danú on March 11th at Macky Auditorium on the CU Boulder campus.
It’s been my pleasure speaking with Benny McCarthy, founder and leader of Danú. Benny, safe travels, and we look forward to seeing you in March.
Benny McCarthy: Thanks very much, Roger. Thank you.
