Photo © Kristie Cote
Firstly off, the answer to
our most common question: it's pronounced 'Soo-nass' (and
yes it does mean what we say it does). We came together
with no specific ideas in mind. The general consensus was
to just play and see what happened. Of course we had a few
guidelines, but most important of all, it was to be fun,
and we weren't going to comprise just to fit venues. Which
is kind of a roundabout way of saying that we just didn't
want to be another generic 'Irish' band.
Basically we play traditional acoustic Celtic (Irish,
Scottish, British, European, Breton etc) music. We play
both songs and tunes, in the styles of such bands and
artists as Altan, Lúnasa, The Waterboys, Solas, Loreena
McKennit, Luka Bloom and The Bothy Band to name a few.
And of course we have an ever-increasing number of our own
songs and tunes, and also contemporary material that we’ve
twiddled to fit our own style.
Instruments played by the band include guitars, fiddle,
bouzouki, mandolin, flutes, whistles and bodhrán, and we
have the luxury of four vocalists.
In addition to playing at most of the popular venues around
Queensland regularly and touring interstate, we have
headlined both the Cygnet and Tamar Valley Folk Festivals
and performed at a number of Woodford Folk Festivals (seven
shows at the 2007-2008 one). We have also performed at the
Queensland Multicultural Festival, Brisbane Mediaeval
Faires, Fleadh Ceol in Hobart, Pagan festivals, BEMAC and
Brisbane City Council events, a King George Square concert
with the Lord Mayor, the Music by the Sea Festival, even a
New Year’s Hogmanay at a 5-star hotel. We've been featured
a number of times in the Courier-mail and Hobart Mercury
newspapers, and have also done a number of ABC interstate
and regional radio performances, and our songs and tunes
are on rotation at the ABC. And of course we also
perform at private functions of all kinds.
Our first album, 'a Breath Away from Shadow' has just been
released.
Sarah
Vocals, Flutes, Whistles
Sarah has been playing the flute for seventeen years and singing longer than she can remember. She studied Musical Theatre at university and has toured Denmark, Norway and Sweden with the Australian Youth Orchestra. She also plays piano and guitar and writes much of the original Súnas material. Born in Adelaide, Sarah has an English/Scottish background (and even has her own family tartan).
Influences: Kate Rusby, Kevin Crawford, Karan Casey, Pauline Scanlon, Flook
Photo © Alan Lesheim
Guitars, Bodhrán, Coffee
Paul was raised in Kent, England and came to Australia in 1994. He first picked up a guitar in his teens, and it was seeing Donogh Hennessy and Tony McManus at a Woodford Festival that gave him the inspiration to learn alternate tunings. Paul also plays the bodhrán and when he's not gigging, he writes novels and short stories. He has his own website here.
Influences: Donogh Hennessy, John Doyle, Mike Scott Martin Hayes, Liam O' Manolai
Photo © Charles de Lint
Bouzouki, Mandolin, Vocals
Born in Belfast into a family of entertainers, Mannie arrived in Australia in 81. His first band was the duo, Two's Company, which expanded into the four-piece, Blackthorne, who toured extensively and recorded a number of albums. Raglan Street then followed, before finally starting Súnas with Paul and Helen.
Influences: Ciarán Curran & Altan, Solas, Stockton's Wing, Peter Gabriel, The Bothy Band.
Photo © Alan Lesheim
Bridget
Fiddle,
Vocals
Bridget has
been playing the fiddle for over seventeen years. She
trained classically, but saw the light a half-dozen years
ago and switched to Celtic. She's played with various
orchestras and bands around Brisbane and toured as one half
of 'The Maguire Sisters' supporting the Three Irish Tenors
in 2006. (which we find fairly amusing for some reason!)
Learnt from and influenced by: Emma Nixon, Alasdair Fraser Chris Duncan, Catherine
Fraser, Hanneke
Cassel, Liz Doherty, Catriona McDonald
Photo © Mil Clayton