Late addition to the 'Later' series of events in north Mayo village

Ballinglen Museum of Art in Ballycastle has just announced the legendary Tuvan throat singing group Huun Huur Tu as a late addition to their ‘Later’ series of night-time events. They will be performing in the north Mayo village on December 2.

While the series has so far hosted Eddie Lenihan, Cormac Begley and Seckou Keita, among others, nothing can quite prepare you for the mesmerizing traditional laryngeal singing of Huun Huur Tu, a music group from Tuva, a Russian Federation republic situated on the Mongolian border.

Huun Huur Tu are celebrating the impressive milestone of 30 years since inception. Over the past three decades, Huun Huur Tu has established itself as one of the foremost throat singing and world music acts, delighting audiences worldwide with their unique and captivating sound.

The most distinctive characteristic of Huun Huur Tu’s music is throat singing, in which the singers sing both the note (drone) and the drone’s overtone(s), thus producing two or three notes simultaneously. The overtone may sound like a flute, whistle or bird, but is actually solely a product of the human voice.

Their intricate and masterful use of traditional instruments such as the igil (horse head fiddle) and doshpuluur (three-stringed lute) have earned them numerous accolades and a legion of devoted fans. The group primarily uses native Tuvan instruments such as the igil, khomus (Tuvan jaw harp), doshpuluur and dünggür (shaman drum).

Huun Huur Tu’s style could be best described as profoundly mysterious – a consequence of their traditional, ritual laryngeal chants descending from the central Asian land of Tuva. This unique song technique creates an enthralling sound cosmos rich in undertones and overtones. The descendants of isolated Siberian herdsmen make serious, strangely universal music out of some of the planet's quirkiest acoustics.

They have previously headlined at the Galway Arts Festival and collaborated with many musicians, including Ry Cooder, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, Frank Zappa, The Chieftains, The Kronos Quartet and the Kodo Drummers. Their song 'Osku Urug' is featured in the American television series Fargo ('The Law of Vacant Places' episode).

Huun Huur Tu visit Ballycastle after two shows at Dublin's Sugar Club and two sell-out shows at Connolly's of Leap (Cork).

Next up in the Later series is Lemoncello, who perform on Friday (November 24). Laura Quirke and Claire Kinsella have a sound embedded in Irish and folk roots but also embrace indie pop and contemporary classical music. They’ve already opened for and collaborated with many esteemed artists such as Lisa O'Neill, Sam Amidon, Glen Hansard and Cormac Begley.

O'Neill also performs in Ballinglen on Saturday (November 25), and it what might be her most intimate show of 2023. The Cavan-born performer is one of Ireland's most acclaimed singers and distinctive voices, with Guardian album of the year awards to her name and regular sold-out UK and US tours.

Following the Huun Huur Tu show on December 2, Mikel Murfi performs his smash-hit theatre show The Man In The Woman's Shoes. Murfi’s delightful tale of love, loneliness and belonging in rural Sligo during the 1970s is heart warming and hilariously good fun. The show has toured extensively in Ireland and internationally, with the New York Times commending Murfi for his ‘astonishing acting’.

Visit https://www.ballinglenartsfoundation.org/events for more info on all upcoming shows.