Ireland’s largest trad and folk music festival will light up January with performances from icons of the genre and innovative new artists.
Tradfest showcases the best of established and emerging musical talent in over 50 performances across Dublin over five days, 24–28 January.
From Irish harpists, Galician bagpipers and bluegrass banjoists to fusions of trad with hip-hop, New Orleans jazz and mambo, the programme promises to deliver some of the best and freshest trad and folk performances on the planet.
This year’s highlights include a celebration of singer/songwriter Ralph McTell who turns 80 in 2024.
To mark his special year he will perform with some of Ireland’s finest artists in a unique collaboration that affirms his connection with and love for the music and culture of Ireland.
Janis Ian – A Life Between the Lines will honour the life and work of the legendary singer/songwriter who will discuss her life and career and introduce performances of her work by friends and colleagues.
Women of Note will feature a coming together of Irish and international artists from diverse backgrounds and culture, while the Pride Géilí will fly the flag for the LGBTQ+ community in an evening of music, dance and craic.
There will performances from long-established artists like Altan, a leading force in traditional Irish music for nearly 40 years, alongside newcomers like Alannah Thornburgh, an award-winning instrumentalist and composer from the west of Ireland.
Tradfest also champions artists who are redefining Irish trad music, such as Limerick rapper Strange Boy, and WeAreGriot, a collection of Nigerian-Irish poets and storytellers who will perform Shtory, an intertwining of words, visuals and music.
With its roots in the vibrant setting of Dublin’s Temple Bar area, Tradfest now stretches across the city with live music events in a number of landmark buildings and performance arenas.
This year’s headline venues include historic Dublin Castle, atmospheric Pepper Canister Church and the splendidly gothic St Patrick’s Cathedral. Some of the city’s most important heritage buildings will also host concerts including Collins Barracks, which is a National Museum of Ireland site, and the GPO, famously used in the 1916 Easter Rising.
And beyond the ticketed events there will be planned and impromptu sessions in pubs across Dublin, together with a programme of fringe events, enabling everyone to join in this joyful celebration of Irish music and culture.
