From the outside, the Storey’s Field Centre (a multipurpose gig venue and community centre in Eddington) looked like little more than a big brick box. But, on the inside, the warm timber throughout and soft lighting set the stage for something quite tender yet expansive. It was the perfect environment to be serenaded by the Romantic and reflective sounds of the Irish folk duo, Ye Vagabonds

“Their music carries joy and sorrow parcelled together”

Brothers Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn spoke to me about growing up singing traditional folk songs together, and this history unfolded naturally across the evening. Rather than telling the audience, they showed it through their curated mix of old ballads and contemporary compositions from the past decade. Their music carries joy and sorrow parcelled together, and on stage, this emotional range was reflected in the interplay of guitars and mandolins, anchored by a resonant double bass and vibrational equipment that let each note linger.

“At the heart of their songs lies a deep connection to nature, used as a metaphor for human emotion”

At the heart of their songs lies a deep connection to nature, used as a metaphor for human emotion. Across the set, the brothers navigated vast emotional terrain, often punctuated with anecdotes that grounded the performance in everyday life. One moment of levity arrived when they joked about their father receiving a parking ticket on a street that shared their surname - a detail that segwayed nicely into their performance of “On Sitric Road,” an unreleased track chronicling encounters in their Dublin neighbourhood, Stoneybatter. This song, alongside their forthcoming single “Mayfly,” displayed their gift for transforming the local experience into a resonance that could be felt much further.

Most of their songs thrive on the longevity of sound and unhurried lyricism, but the atmosphere shifted with their protest piece, which they dedicated to the uncertainty and suffering in the world, particularly in Gaza. The music took on a sharper edge, with the metaphor of a river’s changing tide reflecting the unpredictability of human events.

They also offered a deeply touching tribute to their late friend, Irish author and activist Manchán Magan, playing recordings of birdsong recorded by Diarmuid in Magan’s garden. The set concluded with one of their most moving tracks, “Blue Is the Eye,” with the double bass holding space as the brothers’ harmonies gently expanded, leaving the audience suspended in both sound and sentiment.

Ye Vagabonds transformed a simple evening into a meditation on place and human feeling.