[1] In January 1998 at the world-renowned Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, Scotland, Shetland fiddler Catriona MacDonald was commissioned to assemble the world's leading female fiddlers.

Macdonald brought together friends and collaborators from Ireland, United States, Norway and Sweden to perform the festival's biggest concert of that year.

Catriona arranged the concert set with fellow fiddle players Annbjørg Lien, Liz Knowles, Catriona MacDonald, Liz Carroll, Emma Härdelin and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, who also provides vocals for the group.

Until then, the group members could not be together at once due to their solo careers, Mairéad's work with Altan and Liz Carroll's work with John Doyle.

Thus, only almost seven years after their début concert, the group commenced a Norwegian tour, recording their début album and DVD simply entitled Live.