Billow Wood was recognised with an illustrious award while on an extensive August tour of the United States. Ballina musicians and band founders Mark O’Donnell and Harry Lawlor, along with their three fellow group members, accepted the honour presented by Mayo County Council which acknowledges the outstanding contribution of Billow Wood to the Irish music industry.
The Billow Wood sound is a unique and captivating experience, driven by a fusion of Irish trad and contemporary folk music. It is regarded as the leading band of this genre in Mayo.
The distinguished accolade came as Billow Wood played during the Milwaukee Irish Fest, where close to 100,000 people attended a celebration of Irish culture.
The presentation of the award was made by the Chairperson of Mayo County Council, Councillor John Caulfield, in Gingerz Irish Bar in the Wisconsin city of Milwaukee. Mayo County Council had a strong presence at the four-day festival, one of the biggest annual Irish festivals in the USA.
The band finished its extensive American tour in Gaelic Park, Chicago at the weekend following a series of shows in Indianapolis, St. Louis and others venues that began on July 31, and which saw audiences treated to concerts rooted in instrumental virtuosi, storytelling, close harmonies and textured acoustic arrangements.
While Billow Wood’s line-up has changed over the years, its founding members Mark O’Donnell and Harry Lawlor have been there since the start, with the Ballina musicians first coming together in 2013 to play in the band Flat Out, which they formed with Bríd O’Donnell and Ciara O’Donnell. A name change to Billow Wood occurred in 2017 and, since then, the group has established a strong following across Ireland and mainland Europe, particularly in Germany.
In addition to fiddle player and singer Mark, and harpist, guitarist and singer Harry, Billow Wood comprises Andy Dempsey (vocals/drums), Emily Donoghue (vocals/mandolin) and Aodán Cronin (accordion).
The band’s new single ‘Out at Sea’ is now available to download on all platforms. This collection of jigs is in memory of the late Kerry poet Danny Sheehy, who died following a boating accident off Portugal in 2017 while on a trip with fellow artists, including Liam Ó Maonlaí of Hothouse Flowers. He and his friends had set out to retrace an ancient sea pilgrimage across Atlantic waters when the tragedy occurred.
