Howdy from Alaska! I am finishing a great week here in Fairbanks, Alaska teaching and performing at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, which truly must be heard to believed. This festival is astoundingly…

On Saturday 20th May 2017 the village of Scartaglin in County Kerry will once again celebrate World Fiddle Day with a series of events for lovers or fiddle and traditional music.

Scartaglen is a small rural village full of culture and traditions. It nestles on a small hill halfway between Castleisland and…

Described as “simply one of the best folk duos on the planet” (BBC), Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre have just released their new album, Live In Concert, and we have an exclusive track for you.

With an exciting blend of eclectic fiddle and guitar music, Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre bring to the stage sympathetic…

The plight of women in traditional ballads is often quite dark. Originally, these ballads dealt with the hard realities of everyday life in the old ages, but as time drew on, the narratives fractured and blurred, and the result is that many ballads today read like strange dreams. Bizarre delusions where the women come to brutal ends, passive victims of random violence…

Via RTE Culture. The singer songwriter Sonny Condell and the poet and lyricist Paddy Kehoe have just released an album together, entitled Seize the Day. In this tribute, Paddy celebrates his collaboration with a musical hero.

The two swimmers on the cover are seizing the day,…

Dublin-based roots band, I Draw Slow releases their highly anticipated new album, TURN YOUR FACE TO THE SUN on 21st April 2017 on Compass Records.

Their combination of infectious high-energy songs, exuberant performances and a passion for tradition come together on this album to…

Our most played track for the third week running comes from award winning concertina player and innovator, Cormac Begley, who has just released his debut solo album to critical acclaim. This is also the first solo concertina album in traditional Irish music to feature bass, baritone, treble and piccolo concertinas. Siobhain Long in her…

The Outside Track, Skipper’s Alley and Sock’s in the Frying Pan were the big winners in today’s funding and grant announcement by The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD. In total, funding of almost €700,000 has been announced by Culture Ireland to 122 Irish…

Through a unique musical lens, new group Cordeen plan to explore the legacy of the Irish in Newfoundland as they trace the story of traditional music, from songs of home to fresh new fusions. This new quartet includes Waterford’s Benny McCarthy, "founding member of iconic traditional music group Danú.

Hailing from the…

Perfect Friction formed in early 2012 when five young musicians, who had been playing traditional Irish music sessions together in Wicklow town, decided to enlist the services of a talented vocalist and put a new sound on the road. The band’s music ranges from high-energy trad sets with a full range of instruments (fiddle, flute,…

Have a listen to the new release by Usher’s Island, a group that includes some of the biggest names in traditional music. Released on Vertical Records "Usher’s Island brings together two generations of the finest and most influential Irish traditional…

Award winning concertina player and innovator, Cormac Begley, has  just released his debut solo album to critical acclaim. This is also the first solo concertina album in traditional Irish music to feature bass, baritone, treble and piccolo concertinas. Siobhain Long in her Irish Times review described the album as “a…

In the few short years since they formed Ruaile Buaile, Niall Kelly, Arthur Stones, Jack Godley and Shane Lynam, have gone from being considered a highly thought-of young local act, to a act with international potential.  We launched their debut album here on Tradconnect in January and you can read about…

We are slowly building up our Irish Music Teacher resource centre on the site and today we have added our first US based teacher. Katie Geringer began studying the violin at the age of 6 and developed an interest…

Here are the Top 20 tracks as played on our Soundcloud file throughout the month of March 2017. This month Mícheál Darby Ó Fátharta takes the No. 1 spot with a track from his new album An Rithim Réidh. The title, roughly translated as ‘the steady rhythm’ is an apt description of Mícheál’s distinctive melodeon playing. You can read our album launch…

Detailed below are the Top 10 traditional Irish albums for March 2017.  Each month we feature the top 10 albums, write follow up articles and present sounds from all new releases. 

Don't forget that if you have an album on release check out our …

The Recollective are a dynamic four-piece band that play a mixture of original and traditional material primarily from Ireland and Scotland but also from other folk traditions. They have just launched a Fund It campaign for their debut album that will "combine songs and tunes from these traditions and weave them amongst their own…

Our most played track this week is by Maurice McGrath, from an album we launched some time back called Winsome Ways. It's called Willie Clancy and the Pipes. Maurice sets out the background to this song stating that it tells the story of a man from Miltown Malbay, County Clare…

This is the second release by a Dublin band that should be getting a little bit more recognition for their unconventional approach to poetry, pop and rap. Add to this the fact that their music is delivered as Gaeilge, and you have something unique. The band is called IMLÉ and this track and video, taken from their…

Via RTE Culture. Finbar Furey is celebrated around the world as one of the great folk icons of his time. Now, at the age of 70, he's made his first ever music video. 

Finbar describes the inspiration for the song: 'The song I Remember You Singing This Song came about as a response to losing a parent… whether…