Get Your Drink On: Altan and "The Jug of Punch"

Irish music legends Altan perform our random tune for today. Originally formed in County Donegal by vocalist and fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband Frankie Kennedy in 1987, the pair initially released a pair of albums as a duo, and additional members were added through the years. They named their group after a lake in County Donegal. County Donegal has a rich tradition of Irish music and styles, and Altan made this music available to the world and in the process became known worldwide with a popularity to match The Chieftains. Kennedy died of Ewings sarcoma in 1994, leaving Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh to keep the band going. Altan has recorded and toured with fellow countrymen The Chieftains, and other musicians such as such as Enya, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt and Alison Krauss. This song, The Jug of Punch, can be found on their 1993 album Island Angel, and on the various artists compilation album Celtic Wonder (2005). The song celebrates the wonders of a good drink.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.