Dungarvan is Seisiún ready as TuneFest 2024 Festival Beckons

Dungarvan is Seisiún ready as TuneFest 2024 Festival Beckons

Head to Dungarvan from 21st-23rd June for concerts, including headline gigs with Cherish the Ladies, Talisk and Danú, music workshops, dancing, pub sessions, youth buskers, cd launches, and free outdoor gig rig performances.

TuneFest Dungarvan, Ireland’s most exciting emerging traditional Irish music festival, will take place in the scenic harbour town of Dungarvan Co. Waterford from 21st-23rd June 2024.

TuneFest will bring together some of the most talented traditional Irish musicians and singers from Waterford, Ireland and overseas for one incredible weekend of top-class music and fun. With sessions, concerts, recitals, workshops, CD launches and an open air gig rig festival goers will enjoy the cream of traditional Irish music, dance & song. The festival prides itself on being family friendly and includes opportunities for young musicians to perform and learn with street busking and tutors.

Headliner concerts take place on each night of the 3 day festival. Topping the programme this year are three internationally renowned acts;  Cherish the Ladies, Talisk and Danú.

Kicking things off on a high on Friday 21st June at 7.30pm in Dungarvan Town Hall Theatre are Cherish the Ladies, one of most heralded Irish music ensembles in the world. This Grammy-nominated Irish American supergroup formed in New York City in 1985 to celebrate the rise of women in what had been a male-dominated Irish music scene.  Led by champion flute and whistle player Joanie Madden, the group includes accomplished musicians including Mary Coogan, Mirella Murray, Kathleen Boyle, Nollaig Casey and Kate Purcell. Support on the night is from ‘Tri Thine’ , a vibrant young group of musicians hailing from counties Meath, Tipperary, Cork and Fermanagh. The group met in Meitheal Summer School in 2022, they won the group competition and were awarded a performance slot in Tunefest.The overwhelming popularity of Cherish the Ladies means this gig is likely to be a sell out so book fast to avoid disappointment. (Tickets available via eventbrite €25). 

During the day on Saturday 22nd June workshops takes place in Ard Scoil na nDeise at 10am. Tutors for fiddle, concertina, whistle, banjo, accordion and bodhran takes place followed by a concert with students and tutors, this concert is a free event. Also from 9.30am in Ard scoil na nDeise there will be a ‘Try the pipes’ with Na Píobairí Uilleann and also Pop up Gaeltacht from 9.30am alongside the trialing of pipes.  A busking competition for young musicians will bring tunes to the streets from 2pm on Grattan Square. At 3.00pm in Town Hall Theatre will be ‘There’s no show like a Joe Show’ Get ready for an unforgettable afternoon with Joe Power ,enjoy a lively mix of music, stories and songs featuring multiple guest artists including Bobby Gardiner, Donal Clancy, Donnchadh Gough and Benny McCarthy. and in the evening there will be a session trail in pubs and venues including: Tudor House, Merrys’, Downey’s, The Achor, The Local & The Moorings The Festivals gig rig will host fabulous talent free to enjoy from 3.30pm to 5.30pm with live performances from Thri Thine, Taobh Na Mara Ceili Band and The Wren. Expect spontaneous dancing, clapping and shouts of ‘hup’!

Later that night Dungarvan will rock to the sounds of Tallisk who are Saturday’s  headline act. Taking place from 8pm at Club Creation, this ground-breaking, chart-topping, genre-bending, globetrotting folk group from Scotland promise an unmissable night of high energy music. Talisk was formed in 2014 in Glasgow and are one of the most talked about folk bands of the 21st century, with three albums and  numerous awards under their belts.  (Tickets available via eventbrite €20).

Heading into day three of the festival, on Sunday 23rd June, there will be CD Launches upstairs in The Old Bank, Dungarvan at 2pm. This event is free to attend and will celebrate new music from John Wynn & John McEvoy and The O’ Loughlins. Session trails will continue and when night falls, the volume doesn’t.  The final concert of the weekend features Danú one of the leading traditional Irish ensembles at 7.30pm at The Park Hotel, Dungarvan. This much loved group bring to the stage a high-energy performance and a glorious mix of ancient airs, popular ballads, céilí, jigs, reels, and polkas to more modern tunes with an Irish trad twist. Support act on the night is the terrific Taobh Na Mara,  former All Ireland Senior Céilí Band Champions and a full house is expected!(Tickets available via eventbrite €30

Now in its fourth year, Tunefest  is organised by a voluntary committee embedded in the local trad community. This emerging festival has quickly become a favourite for Irish music lovers and families alike.  TuneFest’s success is supported by tremendous local talent and the music credentials and contacts of those involved in the programming. The passion for trad music in and around Dungarvan is notable and the local grá for trad is in no small measure thanks to a strong and vibrant trad community led by its proximity to the nearby An Rinn Gaeltacht and the thriving Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Eireann branches.

In addition to the top class music offered at TuneFest, Dungarvan town is a great destination to visit with its wide selection of pubs and restaurants, and of course the Waterford Greenway. The festival has also teamed up with local hotels and accommodation providers to offer special packages for those looking to stay in Dungarvan for the weekend.

Commenting ahead of the 2024 TuneFest “We are thrilled to be counting down to this year’s highly anticipated festival, our sessions will have the streets and venues of the town hopping, with the best of ancient airs and modern trad. We hope that locals and visitors to the town will turn out to soak up the ceoil and craic this June!” said festival organiser Donnchadh Gough, a well-respected uilleann-piper and bodhrán player with Irish band DANÚ and owner of The Local gastropub, which serves a dish of trad music most nights . “We have one of the best line-ups of Irish and international musicians joining us over the weekend.  This is a festival that truly has something for everyone, whether you’re a budding musician yourself, a die-hard trad fan or just want a fun weekend away. We can’t wait to see everyone there!”

Tickets for TuneFest Dungarvan are on sale now via tunefest.ie and eventbrite. 

TuneFest is funded by Waterford Council, Diageo, Heineken,Comhaltas, Foras na Gaeilge Cairde Credit Union and local businesses and would not be possible without the support of volunteers and local supporters.

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Twitter: @FestTune

 

Press release credit ETC PR & Marketing