Lúnasa, an Irish traditional music group named after the ancient harvest festival Lughnasadh, was formed in 1997 when Sean Smyth, John McSherry, and Steve Cooney began touring together. The band's lineup solidified with the addition of Trevor Hutchinson and Mike McGoldrick for their self-titled debut album Lúnasa, released in 1998 while on tour. The group signed a three-year contract with Green Linnet Records in 1999, releasing their second album Otherworld that October. They then appeared on the Christmas special A Thistle and Shamrock Christmas Ceilidh later that year. The band continued to release albums including The Merry Sisters of Fate (2001), Redwood (2003), The Kinnitty Sessions (2004), Sé (2006), and Lá Nua (2010). Subsequent additions to the lineup included Kevin Crawford, Cillian Vallely, and Ed Boyd. They have since released CAS (2018) and Live in Kyoto (2023). Lúnasa has performed extensively across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
