Lúnasa, one of Ireland’s most acclaimed and influential traditional bands, will be presented by Night Eagle Productions at the Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd., in Ithaca on Friday, February 27 at 8:00 pm. Formed in 1997 from members of some of the greatest Irish groups of the previous decade, the band has been described as “an Irish music dream team” (Folk Roots Mag) and "the new gods of Irish music” (Mojo Magazine)

The band’s complex arrangements and unique sound have reshaped the boundaries of traditional music and 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.

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

Lúnasa are joined by 2 very special guests - the award winning Irish singer and bouzouki player Daoirí Farrell, one of the most important folk singers to come out of Ireland in recent years and winner of prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and RTE Folk Awards in Ireland - and Cathal Hayden, who has long been recognized as one of Ireland’s greatest traditional instrumentalists on both banjo and fiddle. Born into a family of great musicians in Pomeroy, Co.Tyrone, Cathal founded the legendary and award-winning “Four Men & a Dog” band, 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.

“The hottest Irish acoustic band on the planet.” Irish Voice.

“Daoirí Farrell is singlehandedly spearheading a resurgence of the authentic in Irish folk,” Irish Music Magazine.

“Cathal Hayden is one of Ireland’s foremost fiddle players, and his solo banjo performances are quite simply show-stopping,” Irish Independent