Ring in the holidays with a traditional, high-energy Irish concert
GUELPH, ON November 12, 2025 — Award-winning, world-renowned Irish ensemble Danú brings the holiday spirit to River Run Centre. The audience can expect a glorious mix of ancient Irish music alongside new repertoire, with the occasional dollop of wry Irish humour thrown in. Known for their high-energy performances, Danú brings An Emerald Isle Christmas to River Run’s Main Stage on Friday, December 5 at 8 p.m.
For three decades, Danú has been delighting audiences with lively music featuring virtuosos of the flute, tin whistle, fiddle, bodhran, uilleann pipe, button accordion, bouzouki, guitar, and vocals in English and Irish Gaelic. The ensemble has performed around the world and recorded 10 critically acclaimed albums.
The current lineup includes Billy Sutton, Nell Ní Chróinín, Éamon Doorley, Oisín McAuley, Tony Byrne, Ivan Goff, and Benny McCarthy, one of the founding members from 1995.
Danú are winners of numerous awards from the BBC. They are also the only band to have been voted Best Traditional Group twice in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, first in 2001 and again in 2004. Their second album, Think Before You Think (2000), was voted Best Overall Traditional Act by the Dublin magazine Irish Music.
Described by the Los Angeles Times as “compellingly original,” Danú takes its audiences on a musical journey to their native Ireland, offering a moving and memorable concert experience. Their music ranges from fierce to pensive with beautiful balance.
As founding member and accordionist Benny McCarthy explains, the band doesn’t cover the “stereotypical Irish songs” that some people may be familiar with. He says, “I suppose we’re closer to what’s really happening ‘underground’ in Ireland.”
This show is part of the Sleeman-Spring Mill Music Series, supported by Sleeman Breweries and Spring Mill Distillery. This series brings an eclectic mix of Canadian and international talent to Guelph. This performance is also supported by Show Sponsor Knar Jewellery, Season Sponsor Richardson Wealth, and funding from the Government of Canada.
Tickets to Danú – An Emerald Isle Christmas are $69 for adults, $67 for patrons over 60 years old, and $39 for those under 30. Subscribe & Save 20% when you buy tickets to four or more shows. For more information or to purchase, call 519-763-3000, visit River Run’s Box Office at 35 Woolwich Street in Guelph, or go to https://riverrun.ca/whats-on/danu-an-emerald-isle-christmas/.
FOR INFORMATION
Kasia Rusiniak | Program Manager, Development and Marketing
River Run Centre | City of Guelph
519-837-5662 ext. 2589
[email protected]