This Thursday 2nd July we will have our first worldwide album launch on Tradconnect. Deirdre Granville will be launching her debut album called IMRAM. We will have a first listen to a track from the album for our members and visitors, and at the same time up to 50 broadcasters from around the world will be able to…

When tradition-rooted acoustic guitarist Ian Carr met accordion player Karen Tweed at the Shetland Folk Festival in 1990, it was a meeting of kindred spirits. In the two decades since, the two instrumentalists have reinterpreted the music of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales as a duo and in two folk bands-Swap,…

Athrú launch their new EP this Friday in Monroe's Galway. We featured an interview with the band recently and you can read it here. Cormac said to us that “the music itself features a few compositions from Niall, Kevin, myself and my…

Our Track of the Week with close to 800 plays over the course of 7 days is the legendary Bobby Casey. “Maestro” is one of the most anticipated releases of 2015 and was launched at Fleadh Nua this year. A large number of people turned out to join Bobby’s family and friends in Glór on Sunday, 24th May 2015 as they commemorated a truly iconic…

This is a first listen to a track from a new album of Irish contemporary and traditional folk music by Liam Merriman and Eoin O Meachair, both from Waterford. The album will be called 'The Birds Never Cease'. Eoin you will be more familiar with from his work with Caladh Nua who we have covered over the years on these pages. Liam has also…

Following the success of The Stable Session album in 2014, Na Fianna joined forces with producer Bill Shanley of Cauldron Studios to record their first studio album.

"I got to see their dedication as individual musicians, their virtuoso ability on their instruments and that each one of them being a…

The initial response to our Music Download Centre has been hugely positive.  We have been inundated with emails and comments since we posted this press release, and we include some of the comments below.…

Here is a track from the new album by Charlie McCoy called Celtic Dreams featuring Marian Bradfield. McCoy is a legendary Nashville harmonica player that has played on dozens of hit records, including work for such legends as Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Roy…

This week Tríona Marshall starts a series of concerts to promote her new album Between Two Ways.  It's a stunning new album and we spoke to Tríona about it earlier in the week.  That interview is to come.  For now here is a first listen to a track from the album.  Its called Street Reels and includes the…

This is a selection of Podcasts from around the web and around the world.

If you have a radio show, interview, recording in the general area of traditional music and the arts why not add it to Soundcloud and send us a link, for inclusion on future postings.

You can send it to this email address.…

In 2015 we announced a major new partnership with Irish radio broadcasters around the world.

This initiative allows radio broadcasters to download newly released traditional albums for immediate airplay.

At present 120 broadcasters are participating.

Here is how it…

Tom Greene is a flute player from Co. Longford and has been playing traditional music since the 1950’s.  He has just published book called The Boehm Flute in Irish Traditional Music. He states that “many of those who play the Boehm flute have an interest in either playing some traditional Irish music or at least enquiring into the…

Shannon, a leading Polish band of virtuoso musicians with a passion for Irish traditional music - and just one Irish musician among their six members - are all set to play their first Irish tour. Shannon will perform their thrilling blend of Irish and Celtic music in McHugh’s, Drogheda, on Friday, July 10 and Whelan’s in Dublin on Sunday, July 12.…

“And then the boys from Comhaltas decided then and there To take this fleadh from Dublin and bring it down to Clare This music song and dance event is now part of our folklore Since it arrived here in Ennis in Nineteen seventy four.”

The sense that we were about to witness a special Fleadh Nua was evident from the very…

Books on Irish traditional musicians are rare. Quarter-of-a-million-word books on Irish traditional musicians are unprecedented. The Wheels Of The World combines extensive new research and interviews to present a rigorous but easily accessible story of a curious instrument and the key names in its…

The John McKenna Society have done a remarkable job in remastering his works, in what must be one of the best presented packages released in recent times.  Not only do you get the complete McKenna works but you get a great 104 page booklet with great detail about his homeland in North Leitrim and the people he played his music with. The world…

(Updated Sept '16 to include archive Video ) Earlier in the week we posted up a review of the remarkable new, or old, recording by Noel O' Grady, Henry Benagh, John Carty and Marcus Hernon called The Good Mixer.  In the liner notes to…

This song is dedicated to Nancy O'Rahilly . Nancy (Nannie) Brown was from Philadelphia, USA and Michael Joseph O’Rahilly, known as The O'Rahilly, was from Ballylongford Co Kerry. Nancy met O’Rahilly at a party in North Kerry in 1893 when she was on holidays with her mother and sisters. It was love at first sight; he was…

Tunes in the Church, the Galway concert series have published an updated schedule of concerts for 2015. (Included above).  The concert series presents an authentic experience of traditional Irish music, song and dance. Every night presents a different line-up of some of the tradition's most respected artists within the ambiance of the historical St.…

The album of the year for 2015 may well have been recorded 26 years ago, and were that to happen it would be quite an achievement. Give added consideration to the fact that there were no sound engineers, producers or the like present, and that it was recorded on basic equipment in the home of John Carty and you have quite a story.…