The majority of singers come from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with many of its members also drawn from all over the world. Their repertoire is written or arranged for the group by McGlynn, and includes reconstructions of Early and Medieval music from Ireland and beyond presented in a candle-lit, costumed ambiance that allows the group to connect with a very wide variety of audience despite the eclectic nature of the music they sing.
Anúna perform between twelve and fourteen singers, unconducted, in any performance. They are equally at home in an amplified theatrical setting or an unamplified concert hall.
Anúna created the vocal ambiance of Riverdance (1994-1996), achieved a Top 10 placing on the U.K. Singles Charts while remaining at Number 1 on the Irish singles charts for eighteen weeks. In 2012 they appeared as the "Voices of Hell" on the video game Diablo 3 [Blizzard] gaining a Game Audio Network Guild nomination for the Best Original Choral Performance in February 2013. In February 2018 the group won the Outstanding Ensemble category of the Annual Game Music Awards for their contributions to the soundtrack of the hugely successful video game Xenoblade Chronicles II. In February 2017 the group participated in an extraordinary collaboration with Noh Theatre entitled "Takahime", a Japanese adaptation of W.B. Yeats' play "At the Hawk's Well". The performance was directed by Gensho Umewaka (Japanese National Treasure) and Michael McGlynn, who also composed an original score.
While curating the Meltdown Festival at London's South Bank, Elvis Costello invited Anúna to perform as featured guests and in 2011 they featured on DVD and CD with the pioneering Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles. A number of Anúna singers have gone on to carve very successful careers as solo artists including singer-songwriter Hozier [2007 - 2012] and six of the lead soloists in the phenomenally successful Celtic Woman including Lynn Hilary and Éabha McMahon.
In complete contrast, as a classical choral ensemble Anúna have appeared at the World Sacred Music Festival in Morocco and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, London. They have sung at many major classical venues including the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, De Doelen Rotterdam, Hyogo Performing Arts Center and Orchard Hall in Tokyo, New York Town Hall and Minneapolis Symphony Hall.
They have collaborated with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland on two major concerts of McGlynn's compositions at Dublin's National Concert Hall (2009 & 2010).
Anúna have an active and highly successful Education & Outreach programme that has been responsible for workshops across China, Japan, Spain, Belgium, Israel, Sweden, Canada, Poland, the UK and The Netherlands. In 2012 they presented at the Shanghai Conservatory. In 2015 the group presented an interest Session as part of the American Choral Directors Association National Conference at Salt Lake, Utah, USA. In 2019 their sixth highly successful annual ANÚNA International Summer School in Dublin, which attracts professional and amateur choral musicians from all over the world, will take place in Dublin preceded by the first ANÚNA Winter School in February in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Anúna have released eighteen albums since 1991 and have been featured artists on three Grammy Award-winning albums. Invocation (1994) won a National Entertainment Award for Classical music, while Deep Dead Blue (1996) was nominated for a Classical Brit Award. Celtic Origins (2007), also an award-winning PBS show and DVD, became the number one selling CD on the US World Music Charts that August while September 2011 saw their album Christmas Memories reaching the Hot 100 of the Billboard Album Chart. In 2008 the choir released Invocations of Ireland, McGlynn's self-made film, an evocative depiction of the Irish landscape and its relationship to his music. This has been broadcast extensively in Australia/New Zealand, with the DVD being released on Australia's DV1 and Columbia Music Entertainment in Japan.
They have been signed to some of the world's major record labels including Decca, Universal Classics, Polygram, E1 and Philips. Michael McGlynn's sheet music is available from www.michaelmcglynn.com.
Dúlamán
Anúna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A mháithair mhín ó, cuir na roithléan go dtí mé
Curfá 1:
Dúlaman, dúlaman, dúlaman na binne buí
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
Dúlaman, dúlaman, dúlaman na farraige
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
Rachaimid go Doire leis an dúlamán gaelach
Is ceannóimid bróga daora ar an dúlamán gaelach
(Curfá 1)
Bróga breaca dubha ar an dúlamán gaelach
Tá dhá chluais mhaol ar an dúlamán gaelach
(Curfá 1)
Curfá 2:
Dúlaman na binne buí
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
Dúlaman na binne buí
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
(Curfá 1 & 2)
A'níon mhín ó, sin anall na fir shúirí
A mháithair mhín ó, cuir na roithléan go dtí mé
(Curfá 1)
Tá ceann buí óir ar an dúlamán gaelach
Tá dhá chluais mhaol ar an dúlamán gaelach
The lyrics of Anúna's "Dúlamán" depict a dialogue between a mother and daughter. The daughter is fascinated by "the yellow kelp" (dúlamán) and the "Gaelic seaweed" (dúlamán na binne buí) and begs her mother to send the wheels (roithléan) to bring her to the men who gather the seaweed. The chorus celebrates the seaweed-gathering tradition and describes the seaweed as a precious resource that is essential to the Gaelic way of life. The second verse mentions the purchase of expensive shoes (bróga daora) to wear while picking the seaweed, and how peculiarly these shoes place the black and white spots of the seaweed not to be missed.
The song is an ode to the tradition of seaweed gathering on the west coast of Ireland, where seaweed was used as fertilizer, medicine and food. The tradition of seaweed gathering dates back to the Neolithic period and is still carried on today. The lyrics of "Dúlamán" reflect the importance of seaweed in Gaelic culture and how it is deeply interwoven with the daily lives and traditions of the people. The song serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage of Ireland and the importance of celebrating and preserving it for generations to come.
Line by Line Meaning
A'níon mhín ó, sin anall na fir shúirí
Oh gentle daughter, see over there the courteous men
A mháithair mhín ó, cuir na roithléan go dtí mé
Oh gentle mother, send the wheels to fetch me
Dúlaman, dúlaman, dúlaman na binne buí
Seaweed, seaweed, seaweed of the yellow cliff
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
Irish seaweed of the yellow cliff
Dúlaman, dúlaman, dúlaman na farraige
Seaweed, seaweed, seaweed of the ocean
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
Irish seaweed of the yellow cliff
Rachaimid go Doire leis an dúlamán gaelach
Let us go to Derry, with the Irish seaweed
Is ceannóimid bróga daora ar an dúlamán gaelach
And we will buy expensive shoes for the Irish seaweed
Bróga breaca dubha ar an dúlamán gaelach
Shoes with speckled black, for the Irish seaweed
Tá dhá chluais mhaol ar an dúlamán gaelach
It has two bald ears, the Irish seaweed
Dúlaman na binne buí
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
Irish seaweed of the yellow cliff
Dúlaman na binne buí
Seaweed of the yellow cliff
Dúlaman na binne buí Gaelach
Irish seaweed of the yellow cliff
Tá ceann buí óir ar an dúlamán gaelach
It has a golden-yellow head, the Irish seaweed
Tá dhá chluais mhaol ar an dúlamán gaelach
It has two bald ears, the Irish seaweed
A'níon mhín ó, sin anall na fir shúirí
Oh gentle daughter, see over there the courteous men
A mháithair mhín ó, cuir na roithléan go dtí mé
Oh gentle mother, send the wheels to fetch me
Dúlaman, dúlaman, dúlaman na binne buí
Seaweed, seaweed, seaweed of the yellow cliff
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MOYA BRENNAN, DP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tyodom1436
ANÚNA - M'ANAM Wow. I posted this comment my sophomore year of high school. I’m now a freshman in college. It’s crazy to think how fast time flies, and that Anúna actually replied to my comment.
And yes I did get the solo.
@MegaEricPham
My choir is singing this and it sounds so epic and then someone told me that this song is about the love of sea weed
@JordanYee
Still pretty epic since that sea weed was pretty important during famines ;)
@MegaEricPham
yes it is
@mariemonstre
More like it is about two men arguing. One is the father of a beautiful daughter, the other is a man trying to court the daughter.
They both work with seaweed: One likes seaweed from the cliff, one likes seaweed from the ocean. So there is no point in arguing because they are both good., no right or wrong answer.
The father wants to protect his daughter but the young man trying to win her over will take care of her. No point in arguing because they both have the daughter's best interests.
Get the comparison?
@MegaEricPham
mariemonstre that would probably make more sence than seaweed
@anunachoir
Cross species relationships rarely are successful, but I did see a documentary about a woman who married a building, so I suspect anything goes nowadays.
@alankellymd
The BEST song ever written about seaweed.
Seriously, this is class. I love the rhythms. Too many amateur choirs I've heard singing this don't get the driving rhythms which Michael has very cleverly made such good use of.
@silverkitty2503
It is about an irish seaweed gatherer that is his job and another seaweed gatherer threatens to kidnap his daughter..and it gets intense. but there are lyrics about gathering seaweed in general. :)
@jmstnr55
Seaweed is pretty intense.
@ifthousayestso
Yeah, never knew seaweed could be so exciting.