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 Top Celtic Band
Return to Ballinlough
One of the big
attractions for visitors to the 2009 National
Country Fair was the Celtic Folk Band Clann An
Drumma from Scotland. So popular were they
that they make a welcome return to the fair in
2010.
If you have never heard or seen a
performance by Clann An Drumma, then you may
be left wondering just who exactly are they?
It's simple really, Clann An Drumma means
"Children of the Drum" - and that's exactly
what they are - an exciting, energetic and
rhythmic band, from Scotland. Their
music has been passed down to through the
generations and is dominated by rhythm,
enhanced by the skirl of the pipes,
flavoured with enchanting vocals and wrapped
in the warmth of Scotland . On first
impressions, you might think they are "just
another Scottish pipes and drums band" - but
when the percussion kicks in, you will soon
realise that is not the case.
One of their more well-known pieces is "Sgt.
MacKenzie's March". It was composed by Joe MacKenzie
in memory of his great grandfather, Charles Stuart
MacKenzie, who died bravely in battle during World
War I. "Sgt. MacKenzie" is perhaps a departure from
their normal style, as its drumming and piping are
very subdued and it is primarily a vocal piece. It
was featured in the soundtrack to the 2002 film We
Were Soldiers, staring Mel Gibson. Joe Kilna
MacKenzie died after a long illness on April 28, 2009.
Winners
of "Celtic Radio Music award (contemporary
2009)",their last album "Tribal Heart" featured on
Radio Scotland's Robbie Sheppard's programme,
creating a massive impact by being the first album
in Radio History to be played in its entirety,
(never been done before).
Clann An Drumma's
thunderous approach to percussion gives a brilliant
new flair to those traditional pieces - and brings a
whole new style of music.
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