Multi-award-winning box player David Munnelly was born into a musical family and grew up surrounded by music. Widely regarded as one of the most influential Irish accordion players of his generation, he has played with legendary Irish bands De Dannan and The Chieftains. He also fronts The David Munnelly Band (with Shane McGowan on guitar and Joseph McNulty on fiddle), which formed in 1999 by David after a suggestion from a very good friend, who loved the idea of the three individual styles coming together and playing music that sounded very natural to all three musicians. This diverse union proved a winning combination, allowing them to ‘weave in and out of different musical styles while [remaining] firmly rooted in the earthy tones of Irish traditional music … with every member bringing their own unique stamp to the overall sound’ (davidmunnelly.com). In 1999, Munnelly, who specialises in Irish and world music, recorded his debut solo CD Swing. He has since gone on to record a number of respected albums, both solo and collaborative. A huge advocate for the innovation that collaboration can generate, he has contributed to many national and international projects. Among the most interesting of his recent projects is Accordion Samurai, which sees him join forces with fellow exponents of the squeezebox in Europe, Riccardo Tesi (Tuscany/Italy), Markku Lepistö (Finland), Kepa Junkera (Basque Country/Spain) and Simone Bottasso (Northern Italy).