Southeastern Ireland's Danú is a traditional Irish band that was founded in 1995. Benny McCarthy, Donal Clancy, Donnchadh Gough and Daire Bracken met in 1994, when they were invited to play together at the Lorient Inter-celtic Festival in France, after which a friend named the group Danu, after the Celtic Goddess. Danú was invited to return to the festival the following year, by which time the brothers Tom and Eamonn Doorley joined the group. With its 1997 self-titled debut album it followed with a tour of the US, the band began reaching new audiences and its reputation as an energetic group with a commitment to traditional Irish music grew by leaps and bounds. The band's 2000 album Think Before You Think was voted Best Overall Traditional Act by the Dublin-based publication Irish Music. Though the band has gone through number of lineup changes, the most drastic of which being the addition of Muirean Nic Amhlaoibh as lead singer, Danú has released a total of nine albums as of 2010 and has played a number of high profile events, including the 2005 Irish governments trade delegation in India.
