Avourneen performs Cat Stevens

Avourneen is a folk ensemble out of Denver, Colorado that specializes in traditional and contemporary Irish, Scottish and Celtic music. Over the past 12 years, the band has distinguished itself as one of the most innovative and popular Celtic acts in the American West, having played high-profile festivals in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico and Nevada.

Over the past decade, Avourneen has been a recurring favorite at Swallow Hill Music, specifically in their annual tradition of paying tributes to artists like Bob Dylan, the Beatles and Leonard Cohen in live showcases. In 2026, the band will continue that tradition in a show dedicated to Cat Stevens’ seminal album Tea for the Tillerman.

The band released its first full album Sparrow in 2020; the release, recorded at Swallow Hill, features a mix of traditional ballads, instrumentals and original compositions like Banks of the Liffey, Sparrow and Cork March. Avourneen’s most recent full-length release, Way Stations, was released earlier this year and features the most amount of original material yet, with new songs like Lakes of Killarney, Doolin Waltz, Austin Station, Seaglass Beach, Faro and other songs inspired by journeys to Ireland, Portugal, Panama and Maine. The album also includes traditional tunes and songs, including Lark in the Morning, From Clare to Here and Hills of Connemara.

The band has become a favorite featured group of the Colorado contra dance circuit – in addition to its considerable repertoire of songs and instrumentals, the band specializes in folk dance music that ranges from American roots to Irish, Scottish and other European idioms.

Avourneen is: Adam Goldstein on guitar, bouzouki and vocals; Cieran Morden on fiddle and mandolin; and Alice Alister on bass. Collaborators and guest players include: Katie Burns on cello, Christopher Rose on drums, Marty Smith on bouzouki, John Lynskey on accordion, Rodney Sauer on piano and other Colorado-based musicians.

For more information, please visit the band’s website at www.avourneen.com, their Spotify page at https://open.spotify.com/artist/2tcsNFnXO52UK1UCQDOK9u or their YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqHmyWbOEtblLyerWqMlhw/videos