March 25th – 29th, 2015

www.carrickmacross.ie and www.comhaltas.ie

Since 2007 Comhaltas have organised a traditional music festival in honour of the 19th century harper Patrick Byrne Held annually on the Palm Sunday weekend the féile takes place in and around Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.

Topping the bill this year are Goitse, Live Ireland’s ‘Trad group of the Year for 2015’. The band have been exciting audiences all over the globe with their creative, high energy performances and their concert on Saturday March 28th promises to be a real treat for traditional music fans. The festival will open with a recital by Zoë Conway and John McIntyre on Wednesday March25th. Described by the BBC as “simply one of the best folk duos on the planet”, the pair will give an intimate performance in the atmospheric setting of St. Finbarr’s Church, Carrickmacross.

There will be a strong local flavour to this year’s féile with musicians from the Our Dear Dark Mountain recording project performing in the Community Centre, Corduff, Carrickmacross on Friday March 27th. The brain child of Téada’s Seán McElwain, this CD brought to light long forgotten music from the Sliabh Beagh area of Monaghan and Fermanagh. As well as Seán the concert will feature TG4 Gradam Ceoil winner Dónal McCague among others in performing music from the album. Along with the concerts, there will be workshops, a session trail, a sets céilí with Rise The Dust, an art master class and workshop plus heritage events.

Details are available on the websites www.carrickmacross.ie, www.comhaltas.ie and Facebook.

May 1st – 4th, 2015
www.cupoftaefestival.com

May Bank Holiday Weekend – Ardara, Co. Donegal.

The fourteenth “Cup of Tae” Festival takes place this May Bank Holiday weekend in Ardara, Co. Donegal. This is quite a unique festival and if you haven’t been there it is a must you go this year.  Considered by many to be the greatest wee festival in Ireland it has all the qualities of an All Ireland Oireachtas without the competition. The musicians are there, the fun is there. The spontaneity is there and most events are free. The festival is in memory of one of the country’s most famous fiddle players, John “the tae” Gallagher, and each year the committee honour a prominent musician or musicians in his memory. This year popular Crossroads fiddle player Frank Kelly and champion solo singer Rita Gallagher are the honoured guests. The opening event of the festival in a special concert to honour this year’s guests Frank and Rita. This concert is organised with the honoured guests’ friends coming along and performing this special concert, and this is a must if you are attending the Festival.
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May 14th – 17th, 2015

www.galwayearlymusic.com

The theme of the 20th Galway Early Music Festival, Time, highlights many different angles and sub–themes of time – the cycle of the seasons, the monastic hours, the ages of man, and the terror of the end of the world – all in the context of the rhythm, tactus and pulse of musical time.
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July 12th – 18th, 2015,
www.sssschool.org

The 29th South Sligo Summer School of Traditional Music, Song & Dance takes place in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, from July 12th to 18th, 2015. Instruments taught include fiddle, flute, tin whistle, harp, uilleann pipes, concertina, button accordion, banjo, traditional guitar and bodhrán. Afternoon masterclasses and beginner/improver sessions are added features again this year, having proven highly successful last year. Singing workshops are offered in traditional singing in English and Sean Nós singing as Gaeilge. Lilting is also a feature of the singing classes during the week. Dancers are catered for with set dancing classes each morning and sean nós dancing classes each afternoon.
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July 13th – 17th, 2015

www.ceolnacoille.ie

Reeling them in at Ceol na Coille!

The Ceol na Coille Summer School in Letterkenny, County Donegal, has been a fast developer on the trad scene over the past four years and is expecting another big hike in numbers in 2015.

Running from Monday July 13th to Friday July 17th, Ceol na Coille is tucked in nicely between Willie Week and Drumshanbo. Accordionist and piper Paul Harrigan, the main organiser, says they’re putting together a big programme of classes, concerts and sessions this year. “We’ve got a wonderful base in the new Coláiste Ailigh in Letterkenny, perfect as our HQ for a great week’s music, song and fun,” he said.
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July 12th – 18th, 2015

www.catskillsirishartsweek.org

The Catskills Irish Arts Week, in East Durham, NY, presented by The MJ Quill Irish Cultural and Sports Centre, will celebrate its 21st anniversary this July. This charming village will echo the strains of Irish music, song, dance and story, mingled with the lively banter so characteristic of all such Irish gatherings. Set in the scenic Catskill Mountains of Greene County, New York just two hours north of New York city, East Durham is no stranger to these festivities as it has been home to the Irish since the early 1900’s. Well–known Irish writer, Cormac MacConnell, was struck by the warm hospitality, so unique to Ireland, when he joined the festival there last July. He called it the “Hidden Ireland”. This hospitality awaits the Catskills Irish Arts Week family of teachers, students, fans and visitors again this coming July.

A wonderful week is in the works with old favorites and exciting new surprises. This year, The Year of the Woman, will celebrate all women in the Irish Arts with a special tribute to Mary Bergin and Joanie Madden for their immense contribution to the traditional music of Ireland. Each will delight with a special concert in her honor supported by masterful musicians, singers and dancers.
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July 20th – 24th, 2015

www.tradweek.com

Meitheal Residential Summer School for high–competency young trad musicians will run from July 20th to 24th, 2015, just after Fleádh Cheoil na Mumhan. Engagement in Irish instrumental music of all shades and colours from a multitude of angles will be the order of the day as always. The closing date for Meitheal applications this year is Friday March 27th.

Last year’s students still enthuse about the finale concert at the Limetree Theatre in Limerick which was a unique experience in such a professional, sophisticated setting with beautiful lighting and was broadcast on RnaG at a later date.
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Achill Island, County Mayo

July 25th – August 1st, 2015

www.scoilacla.com

Now in its 30th year – the annual Scoil Acla summer school takes place on Achill Island, Co. Mayo. Scoil Acla is Ireland’s 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 in Art, creative writing, basket weaving, dancing and a course on Gaeilg’ Acla, the Achill dialect of Irish. Throughout the week we have recitals, poetry readings, creative writing readings, indoor and outdoor concerts, sessions, walks, talks, exhibitions and much more.
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August 5th – 10th, 2015

www.feaklefestival.ie

The 28th Annual Feakle Traditional Music Festival takes place this year from Monday August 5th to Monday 10th. Now firmly established as one of the best Music Festivals of its kind in Ireland and indeed further afield, this year’s package will offer more of the finest entertainment as is expected and looked forward to by the thousands of punters who travel to this haven of Irish culture from all over the world.

The hard working group who organise this event are busy at present knitting together a Festival which will embrace all that is good in our Traditional Music Field. Feakle is considered the cultural capital of East Clare and hosts sessions 5 nights of the week throughout the year. With local musicians such as Martin Hayes, Mark Donnellan, Andrew & Mary McNamara, Seamus Bugler, Jed Foley, Vincent Griffin, John Canny and many more, this area has a richness of Quality music and come August 5th they will be joined by many of the world’s top traditional artists be they musicians, singers, dancers or poets.

For further information visit the website www.feaklefestival.ie
or email:info@feaklefestival.ie

October 9th – 17th, 2015

www.celtic-colours.com

In October 2015, the Celtic Colours International Festival will celebrate its nineteenth year. Since 1997, this award-winning, world–renowned festival has featured hundreds of musicians from all over the Celtic world and attracted tens of thousands of visitors to picturesque Cape Breton Island, on Canada’s east coast. Over the years, artists have travelled from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Brittany, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Cuba, and Mali – as well as from across the United States and Canada – to join the finest of Cape Breton’s musicians, singers, dancers, storytellers and tradition-bearers for the annual Autumn celebration.
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