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Press

Feature Articles

Irish Music Magazine article 

Highland Villager article  


Reviews

“There aren't that many céilí bands in the USA and I doubt that many are as good as The Doon. Their link with Irish ceili bands is through Paddy O'Brien of Offaly, who played with the great Castle Ceili Band of the 1960s. Paddy is special for another reason - few people alive have his knowledge of tunes and their variants, and it's tempting to see his hand in the selection of music played here. The tunes are unusual, sometimes in their rarity in the current repertory and sometimes in their unconventional (though traditional) settings. The playing, which traditionally subsumes the individual to the group ethos, is impeccable in its functional purity, but joyous in its expression. This is a great band.”   — Claddagh Records (Dublin, Ireland)

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Paddy O’Brien from County Offaly was digging traditional Irish music. Het met and learned from older players, he was collecting a wide tune repertory and was playing with legendary groups like Ceoltoiri Laighean and the Castle Céilí Band, featuring the likes of John Kelly, Michael Tubridy, Joe Ryan, Bridie Lafferty, John Dwyer, Sean Keane... In 1983 Paddy went overseas and eventually arrived in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. Twenty years later he came up with the idea of forming a ceili band, reviving the sound of the 1950s and playing some of the lesser known and neglected tunes. The Doon Céilí Band<> started with three flutes (Laura MacKenzie, Kate Dowling, Brian Miller) and two fiddles (Jode Dowling, Django Amerson), added a piano (Sean Egan), and is held together by button accordionist Paddy O’Brien. Their debut recording “Around the World for Sport” showcases a band rather than individual players. It is straight, for the dancers, fun, and they are not killing tunes, but perform their sets with feeling, grace and expression. “The Doon was kind of an experiment, really, to see if young Americans could play the old tunes with the right kind of feeling and expression,”  says Paddy O’Brien. “I think our experience has proven that they can.” By the way, the Doon Reel is not featured...  — FolkWorld (Germany), May 2007    http://www.folkworld.de/33/e/cds1.html

And here's what a recent groom had to say about the band:

“I just wanted to send you a note with a HUGE thank you for your wonderful music at our wedding reception. I hope that you had as much fun as we did. The response to your music was incredible, and people were very impressed. Thank you once again for the wonderful performance. It really made our day special. I will make sure to spread the word around that The Doon Céilí Band is worth the price of performance and much, much more.”


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