VSS Vol. 12 Huartan

Vicar Street Social Presents : Huartan
"To the capitalist, settler, colonial class, we have this message - We are Pagan Ireland and despite your best efforts, we are still here! - Stiofán Ó Luachráin
Cur Chun Bhais, Executions as gaeilge, marks 100 years since the 8th May executions of Éamonn Ceannt, Con Colbert, Seán Heuston, and Michael Mallin by the British imperialist regime in Ireland in 1916.
We mark the anniversary with some revolutionary avant-garde tradrónica from Belfasts own HUARTAN. Formed in 2023, Huartan have created an original blend of Irish traditional music and electronica. Rooted in anti-colonial and anti-capitalist ideals, their theatrical live shows playfully channel collective imaginaries of a pre-Christian Ireland, featuring masked performers who embody the presence of the síogaí (fairies/shapeshifters).
Emerging from the Gaeltacht quarter of West Belfast, Huartan is built around a core trio of Irish traditional singers and musicians: Catriona Ní Ghribín, Múlú, and Stiofán Ó Luachráin. The latter also serves as the bands composer and producer. For their evocative and immersive live shows, Huartan expands into a dynamic collective, drawing on a diverse team of artists, dancers, and musicians.
Catriona, Stiofán and Múlú first bonded while playing traditional sessions in the Hawthorn Bar in West Belfast, where the ideas that would become Huartan were still just conversations between tunes. They eventually named and conceptualised the project after the powerful and vengeful hawthorn. Huartan is an ancient druidic word meaning the tool associated with the hawthorn tree a symbol of both protection and connection to the otherworld.
All members of Huartan share a commitment to preserving and pushing the boundaries of Irish language song. Rather than seeing them as relics of the past, they believe Irish culture and traditions are safest when they are allowed to transform and take on new meanings.
Support comes from Mokusla. The Glasgow-based Irish vocalist, producer and multi-disciplined artist blends folk, ambient dream-pop and electronics, crafting a sound that brings you into the Otherworld.