Belfast based musician and producer Joshua Burnside headlines our night of alt-folk in a bill shared with Donegal fiddler Jack Houston and singer/songwriters Mick Hagan and RUÁ.
‘Rumbling, brooding, powerful, magnetic’ – The Irish Times
Joshua Burnside is an experimental folk songwriter, singer and producer. He takes influence from alternative electronica trad, and Irish folk, chopping and blending them with a mixture of found sounds, world music and unorthodox production methods Joshua’s critically acclaimed “Teeth of Time” released earlier this year, was nominated for RTE 1 Folk Awards, and received glowing support from the likes of MOJO, Uncut, Songlines, Irish Times, KLOF Mag and, The Thin Air, Nialler 9, Hot Press and BBC Alba and solid BBC Radio 2 & BBC 6Music support.
Burnside’s most recent album Teeth of Time is shortlisted for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2025 while his new album, “It’s Not Going to be Okay” will be released in March 2026 via Nettwerk.
Jack Houston’s traditional arrangements are steeped in the Donegal fiddle playing style and inspired by tunes of Ulster and Scotland. His debut album ‘Ómós’ pays tribute to the people and places important to him during his formative years in Donegal and Scotland. He will play a selection of his thoughtful arrangements accompanied by Ella McGroary(keys and fiddle) and Paul McClure(bodhran and accordion).
Fingerstyle guitarist and folk singer Mick Hagan from County Tyrone takes us to Appalachia and back with his traditional blues, country, folk and ragtime playing.
RUÁ’s merging of Irish, folk and world textures brings her music into a dreamlike world existing outside of any one time or place. Playing alongside bandmates Conán Mullan (fiddle, mandolin and guitar) and Steamy McCay (Percussion, synth), RUÁ’s live shows take you on a journey – from intricate guitar lines paired with velvety melodies singing of love, loss, and healing; to vivacious trad-folk-gypsy stories of fortune tellers and ghosts; to synths and drone heavy soundscapes. Throughout it all there is a tangible vulnerability and honesty that guides RUÁ’s songwriting. After releasing her alt-folk debut EP ‘The Healing’, RUÁ is set to release her experimental-theatrical-folk EP ‘The Magic Theatre’ later this year.
Presented as part of the Lasta Young Curators Festival and Letterkenny Trad Week 2026.
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