Lukas Nielsen: Vocal, Fiddle, Mandolin
Rasmus Nielsen: Vocal, Cittern,
​Bouzouki and 5 str. Banjo
Alexander Nielsen: Vocal, Whistles, Guitar
Jacob Nielsen: Guitars, Concertina, Bones

A band rooted in tradition

The folk music of Ireland holds an amazing treasure of songs and tunes. And each song and each tune has a story and a life of its own, and it deserves the highest respect. The music is part of a long and deep tradition where people told their stories and expressed themselves through songs and music. In Almost Irish and as folk musicians we are both living out and contributing to the traditional folk music. When selecting a song for our repertoire we search for different versions, left out and almost forgotten verses and background information before adding our own instrumental tapestry and vocal harmonies to let the song and the music come alive. We try to understand, acknowledge and respect the tradition, the songs and the tunes. Being Irish, English, American or other nationalities the songs originates in local culture and history. However, growing up as danes but with this music, we learned that the central themes and the core soul of the songs speaks to us in a universal level that connects with us and with audiences around the world in spite of geography or time and place in history. A language of stories and songs that cross borders. 

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Four Brothers

We grew up together in the same house in a little town called Holsted in the southwest part of Denmark. Our parents always shared a great interest and admiration for folk music of all sorts. Every Sunday we used to listen to dad’s old vinyl collection in the living room, and just so, we suppose music and songs became a significant part of our early lives. Mom and dad sent us off to music school and instrumental lessons when we reached school age. And because they never played anything themselves they wanted us to have this opportunity. At some point in our lives we all turned our eyes to the world of folk music and set out as Almost Irish. Our family had always loved the traditional and contemporary folk music from Ireland, Scotland and England and it was only natural that this was the music we came to pick up. Music is a strong thing to share, especially as brothers, and it is a powerful thing to step onto the stage with all your brothers at your side and let the music flow.

fotos on this page by Erik Christensen

Chris McMullan

Along the road we met a good friend and an exceptionally gifted musician, Chris McMullan, at a session at Harry's Farm Festival in Germany. In 2015 we started a collaboration with Chris that culminated in a 6-day tour of Denmark in autumn the same year. We all enjoyed the experience so much - both as fellow musicians, good friends and creative artists working with traditional music - that we decided to continue the collaboration in the future. Keep updated on our tour plan for the next concert with Chris.
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Chris McMullan: Uilleann pipe and tin whistle
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Link to Chris' page - http://chrismcmullan.co.uk