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Usher's Island is an Irish folk band featuring Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, Paddy Glackin, Michael McGoldrick and John Doyle. Their repertoire consists of Irish traditional songs and tunes (reels, jigs, slip jigs, hornpipes), as well as songs written by Irvine and Doyle, respectively.

History

Formation

After the final incarnation of Planxty ended in early 2005, Irvine, Lunny, and Liam O'Flynn created a new quartet called LAPD, with the addition of Paddy Glackin. When O'Flynn resigned, McGoldrick and Doyle joined the remaining three members of LAPD to form Usher's Island (a reference to the Dublin quay). Between them, they play the following instruments:

• Andy Irvine: vocals, mandolin, mandola, Irish bouzouki, harmonica, hurdy-gurdy
• Dónal Lunny: vocals, Irish bouzouki, guitars, bodhrán, keyboards
• Paddy Glackin: fiddle
• Michael McGoldrick: Irish flute, tin whistle, low whistle, uilleann pipes, tenor guitar, bodhrán
• John Doyle: vocals, guitar, Irish bouzouki, tenor banjo

Touring

Following two maiden gigs in Ireland (Letterkenny on 10 January 2015, and Carrick on Shannon on 11 January 2015), Usher's Island launched the group at Celtic Connections in Glasgow on 27 January 2015. Later in the year, they appeared at the Guinness Irish Festival in Sion, Switzerland on 7 August and at the Tønder Festival on 30 August.

In 2016, they played at The Gathering traditional festival in Killarney, on 20 February. In April, they embarked on a short tour of Ireland, starting with a concert during the Imagining Home centenary celebrations at the National Concert Hall in Dublin on 3 April, followed by additional gigs in Belfast, Letterkenny, Galway and Dungarvan. On 20 August 2016, the group performed at the FolkEast festival in Suffolk, England, and at the Irish Festival of Oulu, Finland, on 9 October.

In 2017, Usher's Island played a sold-out concert in Paris on 15 March at the Centre Culturel Irlandais (Irish Cultural Centre) and also performed at the festival D’ici et d’ailleurs, organised by Les Bords de Scènes in Juvisy-sur-Orge the next day. The group then delivered three performances in Kilkenny (17 March), Cork (18 March), and at Vicar Street in Dublin during St Patrick's Festival (19 March).

Recording

Usher's Island released their debut, eponymous album in March 2017, on the independent label Vertical Records.

Discography

• Usher's Island (Vertical Records, 2017)

References

1. Irvine, Andy (12 August 2016). "Andy Irvine of Irish supergroup Usher's Island, heading to FolkEast" (text) (Interview). Ipswich, UK: East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
2. Irvine, Andy (17 January 2015). "Andy having the craic half a century on" (text) (Interview). Interviewed by Brian Campbell. Ireland: The Irish News. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
3. Irvine, Andy (5 February 2015). "Andy Irvine is still going strong into his seventies" (text) (Interview). Interviewed by Gerry Quinn. Cork, Ireland: Irish Examiner. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
4. "Mountain Home Music Produces a Celtic Christmas With John Doyle & Duncan Wickel". High Country Press. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
5. "Letterkenny Trad Week: Usher's Island". journalofmusic.com. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
6. "Usher's Island". last.fm. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
7. Adams, Rob (28 January 2015). "Celtic Connections: Usher's Island at Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow". heraldscotland.com. The Herald. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
8. "Guinness Irish Festival 2015". songkick.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
9. "Tønder Festival 2015". journalofmusic.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
10. "The Gathering Traditional Festival 2016". tradconnect.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
11. "Imagining Home: Out of the Tradition". nch.ie. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
12. Long, Siobhan (3 April 2016). "Imagining Home: Out of the Tradition". irishtimes.com. The Irish Times. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
13. "Usher's Island". theduncairn.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
14. "Usher's Island". angrianan.com. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
15. "Usher's Island". roisindubh.net. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
16. Andrews, Kernan (31 March 2016). "Usher's Island - Irvine, Lunny, and friends". advertiser.ie. Galways Advertiser. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
17. "Usher's Island". facebook.com/parkhoteldungarvan. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
18. Whalley, Johnny (7 September 2016). "Usher's Island at FolkEast (Live Review)". folkradio.co.uk. Folk Radio UK. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
19. "The 11th Irish Festival of Oulu 5th – 9th October". finland.ie. Embassy of Finland, Dublin. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
20. "Usher's Island". centreculturelirlandais.com. Centre Culturel Irlandais. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
21. Cody, Mary (22 March 2017). "Kilkenny Tradfest hits right note with punters". kilkennypeople.ie. Kilkenny People. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
22. "Usher's Island - Live At St. Luke's". hievents.co.uk. March 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
23. "Usher's Island at Vicar Street". stpatricksfestival.ie. Dublin, Ireland: St. Patrick’s Festival. March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.

• Irish folk musicians
• Irish folk musical groups
• Folk music supergroups
• Vertical Records artists