Solas, a contemporary Irish quintet, has worked hard to shatter the stereotypes that seek to discredit the Irish people and their accomplishments.

This is completely evident on either one of the group’s two CDs, 1997’s “Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers” and 1996’s self-titled debut.

“People think that [the Irish] drink a lot, are poor or have just come off of the boat,” Karan Casey, the group’s lead vocalist, explained. “But that’s simply not true. Fortunately, we don’t have to confront those stereotypes very often. It just depends on the crowd. Most audiences have an understanding that those stereotypes are false.”

Subsequently, don’t expect to find any songs about immigration, drinking beer or poverty on either one of the group’s CDs. Solas’ music is more of a mixture of contemporary and traditional Irish music, and encompasses a variety of songs, jigs, reels, barn dances and airs.

“Most people aren’t aware that Ireland has a diverse music scene,” Casey said. “We have some rock and some jazz, mostly in Belfast and Dublin. We have blues and other types of music. But the diversity of Ireland’s music isn’t as big and broad as America’s because it has a smaller population.

“America also has a larger selection of places to play,” she added. “There are bigger dance halls [in America] and more festivals. The atmosphere of the concerts is also a little bit more formal.”

Ireland’s smaller population and lack of venues leads to a tougher popularity competition between the country’s leading musicians.

Fortunately, Solas is composed of four of the most talented musicians that Ireland has to offer and one American born musician that is no less accomplished.

Seamus Egan (flute, banjo, mandolin, percussion, whistles, nylon string guitar and bodhran) is an accomplished solo musician. He has released several solo recordings and has contributed material for a half dozen movie soundtracks (most notably “Dead Man Walking”).

He also provided the foundation for Sarah McLachlan’s hit single “I Will Remember You.”

John Doyle (guitar, mando-cello and backing vocals) was a founder of the seminal Irish group The Chanting House. He is also an accomplished composer and has contributed music for independent Irish films and for Ron Kavanagh’s play “Down The Flats.”

Winifred Horan (fiddle) was a member of the groundbreaking Celtic all-women ensemble Cherish The Ladies. Her solo debut is due soon. Casey, who studied music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, also has a solo album to her credit.

John Williams (accordion, concertina) is the only American in the group (although the rest of the members now live in New York). He has won five All-Ireland music competition titles, released a self-titled solo CD that entered the Top Ten list of traditional recordings and has been featured on several film soundtracks.

“Our solo work has obviously introduced us to different ways of looking at music,” Carey stated. “It has also exposed us to different influences, like country and classical music.”

The country music influence paid off when Solas had the opportunity to play a concert (titled “Sun on the Green”) at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee last year. The concert was broadcast on St. Patrick’s Day throughout Ireland on Radio One.

But despite Sun Studios’ legendary status as the home of such world famous artists as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, the members of Solas weren’t particularly impressed by the studio’s mythological status.

“We were so tired that we didn’t realize the importance of it,” Casey explained. “We had just flown in early that morning and we didn’t get enough sleep on the flight over. So, the place’s history didn’t exactly have much of an impact on us that day. Since then, it has kind of sunk in.”

Solas is currently on a national tour of the United States that will last until August. Then the group will travel to Ireland for an unknown amount of time (the group usually spends seven months of each year touring America and a month touring Ireland and other countries).

The group is also planning on releasing a new CD in June and will also release a couple of solo CDs this year.

Solas will be bringing its contemporary/traditional Irish music sound to the M-Shop tonight. The all-ages show begins at 8. Tickets are $9, $7 for students.