The duo - from Mexico but based in Dublin for a number of years - have been held up in Mexico for two weeks because a person with a similar name to Rodrigo Sanchez has been barred from entering the US.

Crucially, they had to cancel a concert at the South By South West festival in Austin, Texas, the world's largest industry showcase, where a number of Irish bands are performing this week.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela have played several gigs in the US in recent times and it is unclear why such confusion with Sanchez's entertainment visa is surfacing now.

The Sunday Tribune understands that the United States embassy refused to renew the visa, possibly mistaking Sanchez for another person.

According to the State Department, a review of the visa could take up to three months.

Their gigs in Florida, Boston, Texas, Nashville, Atlanta and Washington DC have been cancelled with others in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and performances at the world-famous Coachella festival in California and the Bonaroo Festival in Tenessee now hanging in the balance.

The duo arrived in Dublin in the 1990s and began their careers busking on Grafton street, playing parties, weddings and launches before seizing upon an opportunity to support Damien Rice. They eventually recorded three bestselling albums and consistently sell out Dublin venues , including Vicar Street and the Olympia.

In recent years, their success has stretched across Britain and Europe, where they have played major venues and festivals to critical acclaim.

They have recently performed on both The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Show with David Letterman.

Since releasing their selftitled album in the US last October, they have sold 100,000 copies Stateside and have been heralded in numerous publications including Rolling Stone, Billboard and the Wall Street Journal, which labelled them "the next Buena Vista Social Club". Last spring, the album - their third - beat Johnny Cash and Arctic Monkeys to reach the No 1 spot in the Irish charts.

They went on to sell 8,000 tickets over two soldout nights at venues in London.

The band have also toured extensively in Europe, Australia and Japan, but their most enthusiastic audience remains in Ireland, where they are viewed as an important part of the national music scene.