Tracklist:

01. Highlands and Reels, The Highlandman - The Cliffs of Glencolumbkille - Old Cuffe Street (03:17)
02. Jigs, An tSeanchailleach Gallda - Dermot Byrne's (03:09)
03. Song, Ta mo Chleamhnas a Dheanamh (05:16)
04. Reels, The Cat That Ate the Candle - Over the Water to Bessie (03:14)
05. Song, Ceol a'Phiobaire (03:54)
06. Reels, Tommy People's - Loch Altan - Danny Meehan's (03:29)
07. Reels, Rogha an Ghabra - Charlie O'Donnell's (02:45)
08. Slow Reel, The Sunset (03:42)
09. Song, Thug Me Ruide (04:27)
10. Slip Jigs, Humours of Whiskey - The Fairy Jig - Humours of Whiskey (03:21)
11. Strathspey and Reel, Jimmy Lyon's - Leslie's Reel (02:24)
12. Song, Citi na gCumann (03:59)
13. Highlands and Reel, Con Cassidy's Highland - Heilly O'Boyle's Highland & Reel (03:06)

Pre-Altan years: Ní Mhaonaigh & Kennedy

Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh had moved to Dublin and were both teaching at St. Oliver Plunkett primary school in Malahide. At the time, they were also playing music in the folk clubs around Dublin. Ní Mhaonaigh had learned the Donegal style of fiddle-playing from her father. However, Donegal music was little known outside of the county at the time. Kennedy's repertoire included a number of obscure northern flute tunes drawn from his travels in County Tyrone and County Fermanagh.

In the early 1980s, Ní Mhaonaigh formed a (short-lived) band with Kennedy, Gearóid Ó Maonaigh (Mairéad's brother) and a then unknown musician from Gweedore, Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, later known as Enya. People became interested in their repertoire of Donegal tunes.[6] The group's members contributed to Mairéad and Frankie's debut album, Ceol Aduaidh (which means "Music of the North") produced by Nicky Ryan and released in 1983 by Gael-Linn Records. The album is a collection of Gaelic songs and Ulster jigs and reels.

After the release of their first album, Kennedy and Ní Mhaonaigh were invited to America, and they quickly realised there was a market there. They then took a career break from teaching, which ultimately became permanent.

The two started to tour with two additional members Ciarán Curran (on bouzouki) and Mark Kelly (on guitar), performing their first ever live concert as a four-member ensemble on 1 June 1985 at St. John's Church in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland, this line-up – with no name yet – being the core of the future Altan band.

Inspired by the success of their debut effort, they began to work on a new group of ballads and jigs from the North. The result was the album Altan, released in 1987 on the Green Linnet Records label, named after a lake which sits in the shadow of Errigal near Gweedore, County Donegal.[10] In the Irish language, altan also means "stream". The album features many of the musicians who would later join the band. "