What is "altan"

Altan are an Irish folk music band formed in County Donegal in 1987 by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her husband the late Frankie Kennedy (1955-1994) . They brought Donegal's rich collection of Irish language songs and instrumental styles to audiences around the world, and they remain the world's foremost Irish traditional group with over a million records sold. They were the first traditional group to be signed to a major label when they signed with Virgin Records in 1994. Altan have established a large following in Ireland, UK, Europe, United States, Canada and even in Japan. They have worked with a wide variety of well-known musicians including Dolly Parton, Enya, The Chieftains, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss and many others.

Altan is the second (studio) album by Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (future founders of the Irish band Altan), originally released in 1987 by Green Linnet Records. The musicians appearing on this album are substantially those that became the early incarnation of the band Altan. The said band have later called the album their debut album.

Altan is a common masculine Turkish given name used also as surname and a Mongolian given name. Altan means "golden" in Mongolian and "red dawn" in Turkic. The related word " Altın" is also Turkish for "golden" and a common Turkish surname.

Altan is a surname and given name both in Turkish and Mongolian.

Altan may also refer to:

• Altan (band), an Irish folk and traditional music group
  • Altan (album), the second album by the above band
• Altan Jalab, a village in Afghanistan