St. Patrick's Day celebration with Irish music and games

Danú, the award-winning band from County Waterford, Ireland, will perform a mix of traditional Irish music and new tunes on its Green Guest Artist Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in Kresge Auditorium. (Banner Graphic/JOHN D. KELLY)

The DePauw School of Music gets St. Paddy celebrations off to an early start on Thursday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. with a Green Guest Artist Concert by Danú, one of the best Irish bands in the world.

Direct from County Waterford, Ireland, the ensemble has planned a high-energy mix of Irish music -- ancient and new -- to transport their concertgoers on a memorable and moving journey to the Emerald Isle.

There'll be slides and reels, jigs and waltzes aplenty when the piping begins at this special St. Patrick's week concert in the Green Center's Kresge Auditorium.

Formed in 1995, as part of Ireland's delegation to the annual Lorient Inter-Celtic Festival in Brittany, France (the biggest gathering of Celtic nations in the world), Danú's virtuosi players on flute, fiddle, button accordion, bouzouki and vocals have collectively recorded seven critically acclaimed albums and garnered numerous awards from the BBC and "Irish Music" magazine.

Described as "a spirit raising concoction" by The Irish Times, the band's recordings, distributed on the Shanachie label -- through the group's website (www.danu.net) and Eli's bookstore in downtown Greencastle -- will also be available for purchase at the performance.

Following the Green concert, DePauw University School of Music and Athletics Department will co-host the inaugural Highland Games at DePauw. Teams of five will compete for the title of champion in a series of five Celtic-themed games: caber toss, braemar stone put, weight toss, kilted mile and the sheaf toss. For this event, the festivities will relocate to the Indoor Tennis and Track Center, where the competitions will commence.

The public is welcomed to attend both the music and the sporting events. Profits raised through entry fees from student competitors in the games will go to Music on the Square in support of outreach programs to impact children throughout Putnam County.

General admission to hear Danú is $10 in advance and $15 day of the event. tickets for seniors, youth and all students are free, thanks to season sponsors Judson and Joyce Green.

To obtain tickets online, visit www.music.depauw.edu. The venue's box office is also open one hour prior to every performance.