Club Passim To Present Irish Music Powerhouse Lúnasa In Concert At The Somerville Theatre

Club Passim will present celebrated Irish band Lúnasa and their distinctive blend of traditional Irish music and original compositions to the Somerville Theatre on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

The performance will feature two guest artists and legends of Irish music – Dublin folk singer and bouzouki player, Daoirí Farrell, and Co. Tyrone banjo and fiddler player Cathal Hayden.

The concert is part of Lúnasa's major coast-to-coast tour that includes 27 cities across the United States during February and March 2025. Tickets are available now at passim.org.

Lúnasa's current lineup features: Trevor Hutchinson, who achieved fame as the bassist with the The Waterboys and Sharon Shannon: piper Cillian Vallely was a member of Riverdance and recorded with Bruce Springsteen: Flute player Kevin Crawford, considered one of Ireland's greatest flute players, was a member of Moving Cloud: award-winning fiddler Sean Smyth, who performed with Donal Lunny's legendary Coolfin and accordionist Alan Kelly; Guitarist Ed Boyd made a name for himself in the UK folk scene with bands such as Flook, Kate Rusby, and Cara Dillon.

Farrell, considered one of the most important folk singers to come out of Ireland in recent years, is a winner of multiple BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and RTE Folk Awards in Ireland. Hayden, who has long been recognized as one of Ireland's greatest traditional instrumentalists on both banjo and fiddle, is the founder of the band Four Men and a Dog and in recent years has been touring with Irish folk icon Christy Moore and in a trio with De Danann accordion virtuoso Mairtin O'Connor. 

Lúnasa continues to tour in support of their tenth album, Live in Kyoto (2024, Lúnasa Records), a release of new materials recorded live over three nights in Japan's iconic Taku Taku club. Named for an ancient Celtic harvest festival in honor of the Irish god Lugh, Lúnasa was formed in 1997 from members of some of the greatest Irish groups of the previous decade. 

Having since performed over 3,000 shows across 36 countries, Lúnasa has won multiple awards and become one of the most influential bands in the history of traditional music. Collaborations with singers Natalie Merchant, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, and Tim O'Brien and high-profile concerts at The Hollywood Bowl, New York's Carnegie Hall, Glastonbury Festival and Bercy Arena Paris, helped broaden the band's audience and cement its place at the forefront of contemporary Irish music.