Moscow Paddy's day is really metal

MUSIC NEWS : Folk-metal band Cruachan may not be a household name in Ireland, but their healthy fanbase in Russia and Eastern…

MUSIC NEWS: Folk-metal band Cruachan may not be a household name in Ireland, but their healthy fanbase in Russia and Eastern Europe has led to an invitation to headline the St Patrick's Day parade in Moscow next month.

Cruachan have already toured Russia several times and this will be the fifth St Patrick’s Day they have spent in Moscow, although it’s the first time they have been centre-stage.

“The parade is a really big thing over there now and to be at the head of it is unreal,” lead singer Keith Fay told

The Ticket

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. “People seem to have a love for all things Irish all over the world, so a metal band mixing folk music and singing about ancient battles just clicked with a lot of them.”

The band, who also have an active fanbase in South America, were asked to headline the parade after playing a party at the Irish Embassy in Moscow several years ago. They are signed to Candlelight Records, one of the biggest metal labels in the world, and will play a rare Irish gig at The Village on April 14th.

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Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times