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ICONS 2008 LINEUP

Each year, the ICONS festival strives to assemble a wide variety of musicians, singers and dancers who represent many different aspects of Irish Culture, past and present. And this year's line-up promises to be one of the most exciting yet.

We are delighted to have with us Liam Clancy, who is now part of a diminishing number of stars who as a member of the famed Clancy Brothers, contributed so mightily to a renewal of interest in traditional Irish singing back in the 1960s and 70s. His musical partnership with Tommy Makem is now legendary and their recordings still sell thousands of copies around the world. Tommy Makem died just before he was due to join us at ICONS in 2007.

On the modern end, we have scheduled bands like Lunasa, Solas and Beoga whose music soars with the spirit of Irish jigs and reels, but also has the twists and wild turns of modern jazz, blues, and rock. Cara Dillon, one of the fastest rising stars of Irish singing will return for her second festival with us, as will singer Sean Keane from Galway, and singer song writer Luka Bloom will make his first trip to the Boston area in quite a few years.

In the spirit of exploring and celebrating the Irish music "connections" made over the centuries, we also welcome some of its cousins. Appalachian music as performed by a hot, young neo-bluegrass band, Crooked Still. The Scottish tinged sounds of Cape Breton are well represented as are the sounds of Scotland itself in The Tannahill Weavers. And from north of our own border here in the US, the foot-tapping dance tunes of French Canada will blend easily with the hornpipes and waltzes of the Celtic world through the playing of Le Vent du Nord, and Gadelle (members of Barachois).

Dancing is a key feature of what we celebrate at ICONS, and this year we are thrilled to have one of the premiers dance troupes in the US with us for some stage performances and workshops. Footworks explores traditional connections in dance and music between the US, Canada, the deep South, and Appalachia in a spectacular show not to be missed.

But the above describes just a small piece of what will be on offer. Check out each of the artists pages on this site. We will be adding some artists over the next few months so check back regularly. And listen to the music which can be streamed right from their home pages. (Music being added constantly.) You may even be able to see them perform in our video segment.

Looking forward very much to having you with us at ICONS.