Keeping His Cool

Could Donal Lunny be the hardest working man in Irish show business? It seems that way. As well as being in demand as a producer he's involved in a range of projects that would faze most musicians half his age.

He's just back from Washington where he served as musical director of the Island Arts celebration of Irish Music hosted by Jean Kennedy-Smith. The show, which was a huge success, featured a slew of Irish acts including Sharon Shannon and Mary Black as well as special guests like Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris and Steve Earle.
As well as working on his current musical project Coolfin who are in the process of recording a new album which will be out later this year Lunny has also been working with Sharon Shannon and Jackson Browne on tracks from the former s new album. He's also been commissioned to write the music to celebrate Ireland's National Day on the 28th of June at Expo 2000 in Hanover.
Meanwhile, a compilation album, Journey The Best of Donal Lunny, has just been released on Hummingbird Records. Featuring tracks by Planxty, Moving Hearts and Christy Moore among others, it's but a brief sampling of the vast body of work that he been involved with over the years.
Indeed one wonders if he ever feels like he's spreading himself too thinly by taking on too many projects?
"From time to time I've felt that but I try to avoid it. I do turn things down, believe it or not, especially when I feel I mightn't have enough space to do what I do. If people ask me to become involved in something because of what I have to offer that's fine, but not all projects that come my way are appropriate. Sometimes there's a much bigger agenda involved and I end up becoming a kind of a chameleon."
As a participant in most of the changes that have taken place in Irish music since the late sixties does he feel there is anything new left to bring to the music?
"There's a lot that's still be discovered," he insists. "There's a fundamental element which is still missing from Irish music. While it's been successfully mixed with other disciplines and cultures there still isn't such a thing as an appropriate home-grown rhythm section. That's what I'm pursuing with Coolfin. It won't be earth-shatteringly different when it comes together, it'll just be of itself not borrowed from anywhere else.
Lunny and Coolfin have been road-testing material for their new album at their current monthly residency at HQ.
"It's been great so far," he says "It's a good chance to knock stuff into shape and gives me an opportunity to air stuff publicly. If things don't work on stage the way we think it should we can change it. We'll keep it relaxed and hopefully unexpected things will happen. Undoubtedly we'll have guests in from time to time but then again maybe not. It's better if it's not flagged. Winging it can be exciting and no better band than Coolfin, who are a bunch of chancers. Highly accomplished chancers!"
Coolfin play HQ at the Irish Music Hall of Fame on the last Sunday of every month.