Summer School 2015
Tara Breen and Conor Morairty confirmed tutors for next years Summer School in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, 13th - 17th July 2015.
www.ceolnacoille.ie for more details

Earlier in the week we we spoke to JigJam guitar and banjo player Jamie McKeogh about their debut album called Oh Boy! He described their music as ‘a fusion of bluegrass and trad with contemporary influences. We would also be classified as a folk band as we sing a great deal of songs’ he said. The album has just been released…

We have always been a big supporter of any artist trying to raise funds to record or complete albums.  Kickstarter and other funding vehicles are a great opportunity to get behind artists at an earlier stage by simply buying the album in advance.  Here is the latest campaign by a band called Four Winds.  We have previously…

As we approach 100,000 plays on our Soundcloud file we are looking back over the many tracks we have added, and are selecting some of the best tracks.  

Here are 5 great piping tracks from our vaults from artists like David Power, Mick O' Brien, Séan McKeon, Jimmy O' Brien Moran as well as a track from the duet album featuring Josie…

This is a track off a new album by Ennis based The Jaskane Café Trio. We don't get a lot of groups that specialise in what could be called 'café culture' music, especially in Ennis.  The track included below is a composition recorded by Moving Hearts many years ago and is probably the most traditional of the tracks on the album.

The trio have included…

The Trip to Birmingham TradFest is the UK's newest Traditional Irish Music Festival.  It overcomes the congested summer schedules by taking a calender spot in late November when people may need a boost before the Christmas madness.The festival will be staged this weekend, 27th - 30th November and will be held in the Irish Quarter of the city (Digbeth) and will…

This is track 3 off the new album by Irish band JigJam. The track includes Ringing the Bell / The Banks of Newfoundland.

This is a debut album with music that blends Irish traditional with folk and bluegrass.  They originally started as a 5 piece party band playing mostly mainstream covers at the weekends. They lost 2 members due to work…

We recently featured a track from a new guitar album by John O' Shea, and he will be undertaking a short Irish tour in November/December in support of the album it is taken from, called Irish Guitar.

It starts in The Hunt Museum in Limerick on 29th November.

"Its…

Welcome to the Tradconnect Official Album Launch series.  For members and readers this series of articles will introduce you to a new traditional album for the first time. We are working with artists to bring a little bit more excitement to the “online launch”.  The first time that artists share a track from a new recording with their audience is important and…

This week's Track of the Week is off the new release by Áine Heslin called The Tunes Foundry.  

We covered the album on our Official Online Album Release earlier in the week. On the issue of recording exclusively new…

This Songwriters Showcase is a new collaboration with the legendary Christy Moore.  Providing an outlet for composers and writers is an essential goal of Tradconnect and it is hoped that this showcase will highlight some great new writers and performers. We are honored to have Christy listening to this material and giving his…

Bonny Woodhall is a new track just released by Niamh Parsons on Soundcloud.  It features Niamh Parsons (vocals), Graham Dunne (guitar), Terry Clarke-Coyne (flute and backing vocals) and Tony Gibbons (Bouzouki and backing vocals). It was recorded live in 2001 in Vlissingen, Holland, in a theatre, which Niamh think’s was called Arsenaal theatre.

Soundcloud is…

Really looking forward to a couple of gigs this weekend, which will take us (some might say appropriately enough) from the Court House in Clones to the Old Gaol in Dundalk. The two performances, featuring Dónal McCague and myself, will focus on the recently released CD - 'Our Dear Dark Mountain with the Sky Over it'.

The first performance, at 3pm on…

Welcome to the Tradconnect Official Album Launch series.  For members and readers this series of articles will introduce you to a new traditional album for the first time. We are working with artists to bring a little bit more excitement to the “online launch”.  The first time you share a track from a new recording with your fans and…

Here are two groups that we have featured recently on Tradconnect, and they will be playing a joint gig in Dublin on 30th November.

In July we featured Juhn Echo who are an impressive new band that have just released an…

Bonhomme Setter have created a remarkable big band sound wrapped around some very traditional tunes.  The introduction to Man of the House, which is included below says it all.  On this track Sylvain Laberge recently spoke to us stating ‘we started the arrangement of this piece with the flute melody and a repetitive rhythmic…

Welcome to the Tradconnect Official Album Launch series.  For members and readers this series of articles will introduce you to a new traditional album for the first time. We are working with artists to bring a little bit more excitement to the “online launch”.  The first time you share a track from a new recording with your fans and…

Some albums have a gentle understated nature that can ever so quietly entwine themselves around you. This debut by The Morning Tree is one such recording.  What you get are three musicians with drive, talent and passion, and with those ingredients a little magic can happen.  Their music grabs your attention from the first track and keeps you listening…