‘At one point there’s 3,000 people on the streets in protest against this jazz music’This year’s Willie Clancy Summer School begins with a delve into the US influences that Irish soldiers controversially brought home after the first World WarSat Jul 01 2023 - 05:15
Nuala Kennedy: Shorelines – A glorious celebration of resilient womenInventive arrangements bolster this album which is a joy to beholdFri Jun 30 2023 - 04:15
Conor Mallon: Unearthed – Reflective debut from Armagh piper with a taste for adventureA deeply mined debut from a piper who is at his best when pushing the boundaries of his instrumentFri Jun 16 2023 - 05:00
‘I love Irish songs and the Irish language. Putting that with something more ethnically me, it just feels right’Traditional music widens its lens and celebrates contribution of artists who call Ireland their homeWed Jun 07 2023 - 05:00
A trad take on Terry Riley’s In C: ‘It’s totally out of the comfort zone for all of us’In C will be performed by Irish traditional musicians, led by Zoë Conway in St. Nicholas’ Church of Ireland, Dundalk on Saturday, June 17th, as part of this year’s Louth Contemporary Music Society festival. louthcms.org SOLD OUTTue Jun 06 2023 - 05:15
‘Just to hear Colm talking, it’s wonderful to be able to hear the sound of his voice’Ríonach uí Ógáin’s book and CD Colm Ó Caodháin: An Irish Singer and His World are being recognised with a prestigious international awardTue May 16 2023 - 05:00
Brian McNamara: Portrait of a Piper – Masterly return of a piper who plays with pinprick precisionFirst collection from Leitrim piper in two decades is a feast for fans of this magnificent instrumentFri Apr 28 2023 - 05:00
David Howley: For Venus – Reflective solo debut reveals another side of We Banjo 3’s most extrovert memberHowley reveals his personal vulnerabilities through a swathe of finely honed, often delicate songsFri Apr 14 2023 - 05:00
Síle Denvir: ‘I never see any kind of modernity as a negative. You have to embrace it’The TG4 Gradam Ceoil traditional singer of the year mentors young sean-nós singers on her new TV series, Bláth na hÓigeWed Apr 12 2023 - 05:45
Martin Hayes & The Common Ground Ensemble: Peggy’s Dream – A magnificent collectionThis ensemble feels like a natural extension of Hayes’s partnerships with the late Dennis Cahill and with The GloamingFri Mar 31 2023 - 05:00
Lankum’s Radie Peat: ‘Singing with other people, in harmony, is a lovely experience because it releases some mad chemical in your brain’ The Dublin band are finding the light amid the shade in music that resembles the ebb and flow of the tideSat Mar 18 2023 - 06:00
Lankum: False Lankum – Landmark collection with surprising light among the deathly intentRadie Peat’s raw, uncompromising vocals stand out in a collection that positions Lankum in a space utterly their ownFri Mar 17 2023 - 05:30
Jimmy Crowley and Eve Telford: Hello! Child Ballads Learned From Irish Travellers – A collection loyal to song circle traditionEach track a short story with Chekovian levels of insight into essence of the human conditionFri Mar 03 2023 - 04:58
Daoirí Farrell: The Wedding Above in Glencree – The song session tradition is in safe handsAn album full of heartFri Feb 24 2023 - 05:00
Raidió na Gaeltachta: 50 years a-growingThe radio station marks its anniversary with a series of concerts around the countryWed Feb 22 2023 - 05:00
Clannad’s farewell show: A fitting end full of poise, precision and timeless beautyA very fine way to say goodbye: still in love with the music, and intent on getting to the heart of every songSun Feb 19 2023 - 10:25
Karan Casey: Nine Apples of Gold – Glorious, unflinching portrait of healing power of female friendshipA nod to the powerful sorority that buoys women through the highs and lows of lifeFri Feb 17 2023 - 05:00
‘If you were ever to think of pulling out of being a full-time musician, January would be the time’Thankfully Oisín Mac Diarmada, Mirella Murray, Noriana Kennedy and Donogh Hennessy have made it to February, and a nationwide tourSat Feb 04 2023 - 05:00
Úna Monaghan: ‘I can point out which music pieces were AI-generated and which were not’Her new album Aonaracht is an exploration of the relationship between the musician and their instrumentThu Feb 02 2023 - 05:00
‘We want women on the stage’: How TradFest is tackling inequality in Irish music Diversity is at the heart of this year’s TradFest, which is aiming to right the wrongs of the pastSat Jan 14 2023 - 01:15
Letterkenny Trad Week: Bringing it all back homeNa Casadaigh and Skipper's Alley are among a rich mix of musicians, singers, storytellers and visual artists lined up for Letterkenny Trad Week from Jan 20-28thWed Jan 11 2023 - 05:00
Séamus Begley: A gloriously boisterous musician who laced his sets with fall-off-the-seat humourThe immensely influential box player and singer reshaped our understanding of what traditional music is and can beTue Jan 10 2023 - 14:20
Laura Cannell with André Bosman: New Christmas – Mysterious and magical, but never predictableIntriguing and refreshing take on the music of ChristmasFri Dec 23 2022 - 05:15
Lí Bán: Rud Nach Léir – Glorious collection of ancient Armagh tunesFour generations of singers bring a rich tapestry of influences to this diverse and open-hearted family albumFri Dec 23 2022 - 05:00
A Note for Nature: A love letter to wild Ireland and call to armsMusicians and conservationists are teaming up to tackle the perilous state of nature from a new angleWed Dec 21 2022 - 05:00
Rebel Irishwomen: intriguing album helps to put the record straight This foreshortened collection of women's memories of the 1916 Rising leaves the listener wanting for more.Fri Dec 02 2022 - 05:00
A song and dance about a Limerick success storyA gala concert to mark 50 years of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at UL is an impressive roll call of global talentMon Nov 21 2022 - 05:00
RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards: ‘It would be fun to see what would happen if I had a broad palette of sounds to play with’The finest Irish folk artists will get their time in the spotlight this week during the fifth RTÉ Radio 1 Folk AwardsThu Nov 17 2022 - 05:00
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin: The Deepest Breath - Seismic collection in sean nós tradition Extraordinary solo album from a sean nós singer who writes much of this collectionFri Nov 11 2022 - 05:00
Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile: ‘I need communion, and music is that for me’ The pandemic taught this ‘amiable agnostic’ the spiritual value of people coming together in a live settingWed Nov 09 2022 - 00:00
Niamh Dunne: Tides review — A picaresque odyssey of piano, fiddle and cello Unhurried, thoughtful collection full of heart and soulFri Oct 07 2022 - 05:00
Moynihan: Black Brook - Precise playing on one of the best albums of the year Sublime collection from sibling trio on pipes, fiddle, guitar and voiceFri Sept 30 2022 - 05:00
Clare Sands album: Mighty first step for artist embarking on odysseyClare Sands self titled debut albumFri Sept 23 2022 - 05:00
Drawing from the Well: Back to a deep source of Irish traditionIrish Traditional Music Archive brings its collection to life in a concert at the National Concert Hall on September 11thTue Sept 06 2022 - 05:00
Lumen: The eternal light of Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin’s music Lumen: The Music of Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin: The National Symphony Orchestra and guests Iarla Ó Lionáird, Mike McGoldrick, Mel Mercier, Zoë Conway, Síle Denvir and many more. National Concert Hall, Friday Sept 2nd 7.30pm nch.ie; Saturday Sept 3rd University Concert Hall, 7.30pm uch.ieTue Aug 30 2022 - 05:00
Martin Hayes: ‘Our souls need music, art and poetry, and we need human connection’Masters of Tradition celebrates its 20th year with a stellar programmeSat Aug 20 2022 - 22:12
Play it again: The music of the Blaskets given new life Claddagh Records has revived a compilation first released 30 years ago, with updated notes and contributions from musical descendants of the islandersSat Aug 06 2022 - 05:00
We Banjo 3: Open the Road – A gutsy, no holds barred leap into the great beyondAn expansion of horizons into Americana and the bluegrass heartlandsFri Jul 29 2022 - 05:00
June McCormack and Michael Rooney’s sensitive interpretationsFinely wrought third album of traditional and new tunes from flute-harp duoFri Jul 22 2022 - 06:00
Earagail tunes up as SíFiddlers return with a fire in their bellies Local talent and the wider horizons are central to the Donegal-wide festival that ranges from Honeyfeet’s ‘wonky pop’ to Neapolitan songwriters to a Congolese-Afro-futuristic-Punk-Assemble collectiveWed Jul 06 2022 - 06:00
Johnny Gandelsman: This Is America — A wide-angle lens on a country in disarrayAn epic journey into the darkest heart of the US that soothes and provokes but rarely disappointsFri Jun 24 2022 - 00:00
An eclectic set of artists gather for the NCH’s Tradition Now festival Tradition NowMon Jun 13 2022 - 00:00
Whileaways: In All Honesty — A finely honed collection of pastoral whispersThe trio’s weighty fourth album would at times benefit from more edgeFri Jun 03 2022 - 05:00
On the road again aged 87, Peggy Seeger has no desire to slow downFolk legend on ageing, her brother Pete, and how she grew out of ‘sledgehammer songs’Sat May 28 2022 - 05:00
Ye Vagabonds: Nine Waves – A loving marriage of old and newThe Mac Gloinns are back with a brace of original songs among the traditionalFri May 13 2022 - 05:00
Téada: Coiscéim Coiligh review – Tunes that will stand the test of timeA treasure trove of newly minted tunes and pristine choices from the last centuryFri May 06 2022 - 05:00
Cormac Begley: B – The musical gift that keeps on givingThis swooping, soaring album showcases his bass and baritone concertina skillsFri Apr 29 2022 - 00:00
Cormac Begley: ‘You want to stand over your work and know it had integrity’Concertina player on his new album ‘B’, west Kerry and different types of breathMon Apr 25 2022 - 00:00
Navá: ‘This album is definitely a product of Ireland’The Iranian-Irish four-piece weave a Persian rug of influences on their latest, TorajWed Apr 13 2022 - 00:00
Nava: Toranj – Rich weaving of Irish, Persian and Middle Eastern influencesNAVAToranjIndependent Release4Fri Apr 08 2022 - 00:00
