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Nuala Kennedy & Eamon O’ Leary

  • Writer: Margaret Dutton
    Margaret Dutton
  • Apr 16
  • 2 min read

Some duos are loud about their brilliance. Nuala Kennedy and Eamon O’Leary don’t need to be.


Internationally respected within the traditional music world, Kennedy and O’Leary are known for instrumental mastery, thoughtful songwriting, and an easy, magnetic stage presence that pulls you in without theatrics. Their repertoire moves fluidly between ancient Irish song and contemporary compositions, treating both with the same reverence and quiet confidence.


Nuala’s flutes and whistles are luminous and precise, her vocals grounded and expressive. As The Irish Times noted, she is “not only an exceptional interpreter of the tradition, her own music glistens with freshness.” Eamon’s guitar and bouzouki work provide a rich harmonic bed, subtle and sophisticated, framing what Huffington Post called his “beautiful, crystalline songs.”


Their latest album, Hydra, was recorded in an old carpet factory overlooking the Aegean Sea. The setting seeps into the music. The songs carry stories of the sea, of emigration and war, of work, love, and ritual. There’s space in these recordings. Air. Patience. Hydra was named Folk Album of the Month by The Guardian, and praised worldwide for its lyrical freshness and harmonic depth.


On stage, they balance understatement with virtuosity. No excess. No grandstanding. Just two seasoned musicians delivering songs that have traveled centuries and miles to arrive intact and alive.


If you care about traditional music that feels rooted yet unmistakably current, this is a duo worth hearing closely.


Sponsored by the Parcher Family


Ticket Information

Tickets are reserved under your name and available at the door of the venue shortly before the performance. You do not need to print out your tickets. Lobby doors open for check-in 30 minutes prior to show time.


We do our best to start shows on time, if you show up late your seat is no longer guaranteed.


NAMBA Performing Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All ticket sales are final and non-refundable. If a performance is canceled due to circumstances beyond our control, your ticket purchase will be converted into a donation to support our mission, and we will provide a donation receipt for your records. Thank you for your understanding and continued support.


For tickets, click here.

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