October 25th–27th, 2013, November 1st–3rd, 2013
www.returntocamden.org

The 15th Return to Camden Town Festival is due to take place on the last weekend in October and the first weekend in November. Each weekend has a slightly different focus, but sessions throughout The London Irish Centre (Camden Square) and local pubs will take place over both weekends, featuring many of the finest traditional Irish musicians around. On the first weekend – October 25th–27th (Bank Holiday weekend in Ireland) the main focus will be on music, with concerts, album launches, instrumental workshops, sessions galore and more. On the second weekend November 1st – 3rd the main focus will be on dancing and singing (with music never too far away). Set dancing events will include set and sean nós dancing workshops as well as céilís. Singing events will include concerts, singing sessions and workshops.
(more…)

October 11th–19th, 2013
www.celtic-colours.com

Celtic Colours International Festival recently announced its venues and communities line–up for 2013. Concerts this year will take place in 33 communities at 39 different venues. The process of choosing venues starts in January with a call for expressions of interest from local non–profit organizations. All applications are evaluated for suitability according to set criteria, and although some venues are selected year after year, all applications are evaluated each year.
(more…)

October 2nd–6th, 2013
Oulu, Finland
www.irkku.fi

The 8th annual Irish Festival of Oulu takes place October 2th– 6th, 2013 in Oulu, Finland. This 5–day event in the very North of Europe showcases the best of Irish culture in signature style, attracting audiences from near and far.

Described by fans as “versatile, full of craic, welcoming, and intimate”, the 2013 festival has a world–class programme showcasing all artforms, including storytelling for grown–ups and children with Eamonn Keenan, music workshops with top tutors and dance classes for everyone from beginner to advanced competition level.
(more…)

August 14th – 18th, 2013
www.westcorkmusic.ie

The 2013 Masters of Tradition will open its doors to the very best musicians in the land, presenting a series of performances that cover the full spectrum of Irish traditional music, in its most authentic form. Many of Ireland’s foremost traditional musicians have performed at the festival since it began in 2002. Previous performers include: Liam O’Flynn; Moya Brennan and Cormac de Barra; Steve Cooney; Kevin Crawford from Lúnasa; Brendan Begley; Susan McKeown; Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill; Donal Lunny and so many more.

As ever the Festival is headlined by Martin Hayes, the fiddler from East Clare, whose distinctive touch and extravagant virtuosity has brought the tradition to new levels. His famous trance– evoking sets with Dennis Cahill, who returns again this year, have mesmerised audiences all over the world.
(more…)

August 7th–12th, 2013
www.feaklefestival.ie

In this the year of The Gathering, the Feakle Festival is delighted to host traditional music players from Italy. This is no ordinary gathering as the Festival is also hosting a special conference on Irish Dancing and Parkinson’s Disease in the days leading up to the Festival.

The opening ceremony will be presented by Doctor Daniele Volpe an Italian neurologist and musician who is a frequent visitor to Feakle, where he was inspired to do research on the benefits of Irish set dancing and Parkinson’s. The results of his research will be presented to the conference. The conference is open to all, full details are on the website www.feaklefestival.ie

The programme as ever has something for all traditional music fans, from workshops with master tutors, concerts featuring Ireland’s finest, sessions, from noon till late, poetry, and so much more. On Thursday as part of the Festival collaboration with Dr. Volpe and his dance group and musicians, the Festival is hosting a special Gathering. This will be a café style evening of music featuring musicians from Italy and the best of East Clare. Wine, Italian and local cuisine will be served on the night.
(more…)

July 27th – August 3rd 2013
www.scoilacla.com

The annual Scoil Acla summer school takes place on Achill Island, Co. Mayo. Scoil Acla is Irelands oldest summer school, originally founded in 1910 and re–launched in 1985. Scoil Acla follows the usual format of daily music classes which run from Monday to Saturday on the following instruments, accordion, banjo, flute, concertina, fiddle, harp, tin whistle, uilleann pipes and bodhrán with beginners, intermediate and advanced students being catered for on all instruments. Other workshops available are creative writing, basket weaving, dancing and a course on Gaeilg’ Acla, the Achill dialect of Irish. Throughout the week they have recitals, poetry readings, creative writing readings, indoor and outdoor concerts, sessions, walks, talks and much more.
(more…)

July 21st–28th, 2013
www.fiddlersgreenfestival.co.uk

Rostrevor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland

Based in the scenic village of Rostrevor, the Fiddlers Green Festival provides outdoor Céilís, an open air stage, lunchtime, evening and night time music clubs, art exhibitions, walks, talks and the now legendary Literary Pub Crawl.
(more…)

July 14th – 20th, 2013
www.sssschool.org

The South Sligo Summer School of Traditional Music, Song and Dance takes place in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, from July 14th–20th, 2013.  Now in its 27th year and firmly established on the traditional music summer calendar, the entire community in Tubbercurry look forward once again to welcoming friends old and new for a week long total immersion in all that is positive and life affirming about our wonderful traditional music.
(more…)

July 5th – 7th, 2013
www.cflt.ie

An area long noted for its beauty and hospitality, the people of Cloghane & Brandon, Co. Kerry invite you to their first annual Music Festival from July 5th – 7th. Mick Hanly will open the Festival on Friday 5th at 7.30pm in Halla Le Chéile, Brandon. Following that will be music sessions in local pubs – Ned Gibbons & Friends in O’Connor’s and Turf in O’Donnell’s.
On Saturday, music & dance workshops will be held by musicians Dessie Kelliher, Gary O’Brien, Damien Mullane, Máire Begley, Samantha Morris and Tríona Mangan. The workshops will run from 11am – 3:30pm, with a showcase afterwards. Spaces are limited therefore booking is essential.
(more…)

June 17th – 23rd, 2013
www.galwaysessions.com

This week–long annual festival hosts a packed programme of events across the historic city of Galway including concerts, recitals, parades, street entertainment & oodles of sessions in the city’s many famed traditional music pubs.

To celebrate this special year of the Gathering the artists featured in the programme are predominantly Irish traditional musicians born outside Ireland or those who have spent the majority of their lives in exile. These include such household names as John Carty, Brian Rooney, The Conneelys, The McCartys, The Carberrys, Kieran Fahy, Kevin Crawford & Cillian Vallely, Colm Gannon, Jessie Smith, John Blake, Emmet Gill, Dave Munnelly, Winnie Horan & Mick McAuley.
(more…)