Ailwee Cave to host a unique concert showcasing the powerful fusion of music, art, and science revealing our natural landscapes, then, today and tomorrow.
The Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water presents Un-Natural Frequency, a unique musical performance which highlights our changing landscapes, on Friday, November 8th at 7:30 PM in the breathtaking Aillwee Cave, County Clare.
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Science Week under the theme Then. Today. Tomorrow., the event will feature performances by The Mellow Tonics, Jack Talty, and Hive Choir. This powerful fusion of music, art, and science aims to deepen the community’s understanding of environmental change through creative responses to County Clare’s unique natural heritage.
Admission to Un-Natural Frequency is free, but due to the unique cave location, spaces are limited.
By blending art and science in this dramatically beautiful natural setting, Un-Natural Frequency provides a unique opportunity for Clare communities to connect with STEM experts and foster dialogue about our environment’s future. This unique performance offers a powerful lens through which communities can engage with the local realities of climate change and biodiversity loss. Attendees will embark on an immersive journey, experiencing three original musical pieces inspired by urgent local issues like groundwater vulnerability, biodiversity loss and Biodiversity-friendly farming.
The two-hour event, part of the nationwide Science Week 2025 celebrations, offers more than just music, it is a multidisciplinary forum for engagement. Following the performance, the audience will return for warm refreshments and a 20-minute expert panel discussion and Q&A session. This provides a direct, open conversation with the community members and scientists involved in creating the pieces, allowing attendees to explore the themes of water, biodiversity, and climate change.
“This is a really exciting and emotional way to engage people with the cold hard science of biodiversity change. I am delighted that our experiment in an orchid rich grassland in the Burren was used as inspiration for this choral piece. The Burren experiment is connected to over one hundred other sites around the world so this musical reflection of what happens to Biodiversity when grasslands are fertilized and grazers excluded resonates with observations at many other grasslands in the NutNet experimental network” – Prof Yvonne Buckley, Co-Direction of Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water
“Science Week is about engaging everyone, and getting people involved in the stories behind science and research. As a unique area of biodiversity in Ireland, the Burren is an inspiring location to consider the impact of climate change. Research Ireland is delighted to support this event through the Co-Centre for Climate + Biodiversity + Water and our Discover Programme Science Week Call, where attendees will immerse themselves in the beautiful natural environment of Clare and learn about issues that face the local landscape” – Dr Ruth Freeman, Director of Research for Society at Research Ireland
“It is very exciting for us in Aillwee Cave to be part of Science Week and bring this type of collaboration between researchers and musicians to the Burren. The event offers a unique opportunity to explore how the environment shapes the world around us” – Nuala Mulqueeney, Managing Director of Ailwee Burren Experience