FROM Tokyo to Sydney, Toronto to Wellington and Seattle to Edinburgh, Irish Folk band Altan are now coming to Bradford on Avon’s Wiltshire Music Centre on Friday, April 22.

As part of their upcoming album, the Widening Gyre, the internationally acclaimed, 30-year-active Donegal-bred band are performing in Wiltshire for one night only.

Altan, who have won gold and platinum albums in Ireland and sold more than a million records, returned from the US tour last month and are now embarking on their UK dates this month and next.

“We are relishing it. All of us love touring beautiful parts of England and Scotland, it is a real treat. The band are delighted to be heading to Bradford on Avon again,” said lead vocalist and fiddler Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh.

“After three decades we still have that same passion and love for what we do. It is always a pleasure. Travelling across the world and performing with the crew is always a joy.”

The veteran band have worked with a wide variety of world-famous musicians including Dolly Parton, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Enya, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt and Alison Krauss.

Their latest album fuses their traditional Irish music that they are known for, namely Donegal fiddling and Gaelic singing traditions, with American roots music, particularly that of the Appalachian bluegrass fiddle.

Altan, the first traditional group to be signed to a major record label when they were recruited by Virgin Records in 1994, are still as fresh as ever according to Mrs Mhaonaigh.

“We are older, there is no way around that. But now we know our music better and are exploring different things,” she said.

“We still have a lot of potential and are not resting on our laurels. The group still maintain our tradition that we had from the beginning without compromising much.

“Here is to another 30 years, it is food for the soul and we would not have it any other way.”

To see the traditional Irish music group, who have chalked up millions of views on YouTube, at 7.30pm visit http://www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk/whatson/altan.