Hanna Sisters a ‘Hit’ at the Balor - Donegal Democrat

Posted on 26/03/2007

Thurs 22nd March 2007
 
By Paddy Meehan

On Thursday 8th March, the Balor Theatre, Ballybofey, hosted the ‘Hanna Sisters in Concert’. For those who have not yet had the pleasure of attending any of their concerts, I thoroughly recommend you do so, in the immediate future. I was at the Ballybofey performance, which I can only describe as an evening of sheer musical genius, coupled with a determination to thoroughly entertain, through pop and Irish traditional. 

Fresh off the back of the successful release of their album ‘About Time’, which features best selling single ‘Hotline to my Soul’, combined with a sell out tour of Scandavia, the sisters, Mary, Nuala, Briege, from Maghery, Co Armagh, are music graduates of the University of Ulster. Not only are they classically trained , but extremely attractive to boot. With the shoulder length, jet black hair of Nuala and Briege, combined with Briege’s piercing blue eyes, and blonde , Mary, who resembles a young Gwyneth Paltrow, all standing at separate stage microphones , harmonising ‘Bright Blue Rose’, captured the hearts, minds and souls of the audience. 

One Scandinavian newspaper described the girls, as ‘Irish Angels’. Briege jocularly described an after performance talk with fans , one , whose knowledge of the English language was not too good, described her as being “very slimy”, which of course, he meant she was very slim. The Ballybofey performance , with Low and penny whistles , twin fiddles, electric piano, lead, bass guitars and drums backing, from their first number ‘Stolen Kiss’ from the ‘Lord of the Dance’, ‘Angel Love’, to ‘Irish Boy’ from the movie ‘Cal’, and of course ‘Hotline to my Soul’ , from their new album, enthralled the audience with their beautiful harmonies and exhilarating Irish traditional musicianship. Mary’s version of ‘Sand and Water’, written by a young woman, following the death of her husband, proved a very poignant moment, when you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. 

Their next gigs in the NorthWest, Ardhowen , Enniskillen, on 12th May and Millennium Forum ,Derry , 19th May.