UK Folk Festivals - Ireland

Dublin's biggest and best festival of Irish Music and Culture, the Temple Bar TradFest will be back for the 9th year. The festival will include headline concerts in Christ Church, City Hall and The Button Factory. Other highlights include over 200 free events, music trail, singers club, open session, two outdoor stages, the international Celtic Irish dance festival, master classes and showcases, gigs for kids, children's club, pipe bands, street performers and much more.
Now with films and possibly live streaming!

Kilkenny Tradfest has been going from strength to strength over the last 8 years and 2025's festival promises to be an exciting and innovative festival, full to the brim with concerts, ceilis, sessions, Irish dance, pub gigs and much more!

The festival has grown to include six full days of concerts, gigs and sessions.

During the weekend some of Ireland's best musicians will also give masterclasses and workshops at the best city's historical locations such as Kilkenny Castle Tower and Rothe House.

They are even having a competiton, sponsored by McNeela Instruments, to win a Bodhran.

A small Irish event.

I do wish they had a proper website to collect more info about them.

By now a national institution and an international buzz-phrase among the Americana / Roots movement...Ireland's most compact and hospitable music festival, where virtually everything is low-key but high grade.

Mixture of genres. All forms of music under the Americana/Roots banner are well represented over the four days.

Over 80 shows, including 50 free events on the pub gig trail!

There are many Irish traditional festivals organised throughout the summer months but there are few people who will dispute that Fleadh Nua which started in Dublin in 1970, is the forerunner of them all.

Bringing together concerts, music, song and dancing workshops, street entertainment, pageants/parades and much more.

Steadily gaining a following.

A great lineup over three days with lots of Irish music.

An international festival based in the picturesque village of Ballydehob, West Cork, featuring maritime and other folk music.
Sea songs, shanties, dance, craft market, maritime food stalls, workshops, sea songwriting competition, busking, music in the pubs and main stage on Ballydehob pier. There will also be an Art Expo throughout the weekend.

An Irish summer school, as you might have guessed.

The Bodhran Summerschool is arranged around a series of classes given by some of the world's best bodhran players and teachers, but also includes special workshops relating to the instrument itself, and traditional Irish music in general. Every evening, music sessions are held in the island's pubs, and students are welcome to bring their drum and join in. On two evenings, concerts are performed by two top-class bands.

52nd Anniversary

A major traditional Irish music, song and dance event, held annually in Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Ireland.

With instrument and dance classes, lectures, workshops, recitals and ceilithe all through the week.

Competitions, concerts, workshops, street entertainment, ceili, sessions, singing.
What do you expect? It's Ireland.

Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan is the largest provincial Fleadh in Ireland as thousands of musicians, singers, dancers, storytellers and visitors from the six counties of Munster and beyond gather for an annual celebration of our Irish cultural traditions. The town of Tralee is steeped in tradition and previously has hosted Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan in 1978.

An abundance of music, song and dance at the many impromptu sessions as well as dancing venues around the town.

Includes a wide selection of outdoor and indoor concerts, workshops, competitions, and street sessions.

Summer School of Traditional Irish Music, Song & Dance. Our programme includes a broad range of classes, workshops, interactive talks and masterclasses as well as nightly ceilis, concerts and informal music sessions.

Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering.

48th year!

Based in Peel, Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering is a celebration of Manx
culture and the relationship between the Isle of Man and the other five
Celtic countries (Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany).

Musicians, singers and dancers!! Concerts, ceilis, sessions, free events and workshops.

As in previous years we are posting this under Scotland and Ireland due to its Celtic theme, as we don't have a separate Isle of Man page.

Belfast TradFest, the pinnacle of world-class traditional music concerts, fiery pub sessions and Ireland's fastest growing summer school of traditional music, is set to celebrate its 5th edition this July across Belfast UNESCO City of Music.
Featuring a week long programme of workshops and a full programme of concerts, talks, lectures, sessions, ceilis and festival clubs.

This will be the 28th Event!

The Festival has entertained locals and visitors every August Bank Holiday Weekend. This year will be one of the biggest and best festivals to date. We have music for all generations from Folk to Country. There will be loads of street entertainment through out the days with lots of activities for all the family.

Site not fully updated on our last visit.

A week long event, featuring concerts, competitions, singing, walking tours, and lots more. There's even FleadhTV which will broadcast live from 8.30pm to 11.30pm over four nights from Thursday to Sunday on TG4 as well as live on tg4.tv and here on fleadhcheoil.ie

For the 38th Time!!

Visitors from all over the world come to a festival that now has international recognition.

Variety of events over a week-long festival.

Not much info available just now.

Multi-media, multi-genre event.

A celebration of music reflecting the diversity of the contemporary Irish music scene.
Alongside longstanding masters of the tradition, we will be showcasing music at the cutting edge of genres. With concerts, workshops, film screenings, community and participatory
events and events for children, there is sure to be something for everyone.
Multiple venues.

Website is a bit slow at loading...

Not fully updated yet.

Scoil Cheoil an Earraigh is a 5 day Traditional Music School paying particular attention to the music, style and of the Corca Dhuibhne peninsula in Co. Kerry, Ireland on the Wild Atlantic Way.

The Russell Memorial Weekend is a traditional festival held in Doolin on the the last full weekend in February each year. The festival began in 1995 as a remembrance ceremony to Micho Russell, the world-famous traditional musician, who died in 1994.
Concerts, workshops, sessions

For the third time.

Belfast TradFest, the pinnacle of world-class traditional music concerts, fiery pub sessions and Ireland's fastest growing summer school of traditional music, is set to celebrate its 5th edition this July across Belfast UNESCO City of Music.
Featuring a week long programme of workshops and a full programme of concerts, talks, lectures, sessions, ceilis and festival clubs.

The Gathering Traditional Festival is one of most loved festivals amongst traditional enthusiasts and is ideal for everyone from the hard core fans to the culturally curious. From fireside seisiuns to heart-pounding ceilis,

The Gathering features concerts, ceilis, sessions and storytelling as well as set dancing, singing and instrument masterclasses

Ireland's Biggest Community Festival.
Music, Comedy, Talks, Tours, Theatre, Debate, Family, Community and more.

Quite a variety of events, some of which will be popular with folk fans. You'll have to check the program to find them

People have travelled from near and far to share company and songs and together we have made this Festival what it is - a celebration of song and friendship.This year we are staying close to home with guests and talks. You will hear from and about the singers of Cloontagh, Malin Head, Carndonagh, Isle of Doagh, Buncrana and Rashenny. And we have issued Mick Quinn with his honorary Inishowen passport once again.

Aims to give young, up and coming traditional Musicians and Dancers the chance to perform in a non-competitive environment.

The Festival lasts for four days and nights, consisting of Gigs, Concerts, Sessions, Ceildhs, Workshops and much, much more.

(Listed in Ireland as well as Scotland, as it has a Celtic music bias. Besides, we don't have an Isle of Man section.)

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/shennaghys

Four days and nights of the best music you'll hear anywhere, in one of the most beautiful settings on the planet, The Baltimore Fiddle Fair truly is the jewel in the crown of Irish festivals.

Full line-up will be announced on 1st January.

The Fiddle Fair has firmly established itself as one of the premier opportunities to help encourage and develop the talents of budding fiddle players from Ireland and abroad.

The Fleadh Cheoil is a weekend festival comprised of ceili dancing, music sessions, street entertainment and competitions in music, singing, dancing and storytelling.

Traditional musicians of all ages are invited to gather for the Cork Fleadh Cheoil 2024.

Formerly known as Howth Tradfest.
A mostly free Irish and traditional Music Festival in the picturesque fishing village of Howth, 25 minutes from the centre of Dublin. This vibrant festival promises to immerse attendees in the melodies and rhythms of both the past and present, creating an unforgettable experience for music enthusiasts of all ages.
(Note: we were sent a link to https://www.feilebinneadair.ie/ but that didn't work. However the link we give does work.)

Festival with a variety of music styles.

Organised by the well-known Irish musicians.

Multiple events.

Note: If you have an old link to their old site ending in .org, don't go there, it now belongs to someone else, trying to capture your clicks.

Galway Early Music celebrates its 23rd birthday with an exciting international programme, exploring women as composers, musicians, patrons, and inspiration in medieval, renaissance and baroque European Music.

Bringing Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Music and Dance to Galway.


Yes, you're right, this is not your normal sort of festival.

BuskFest is an international busking festival / competition which takes place in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. The event, which has been going for over 20 years, attracts 6000+ people from across the globe to Banbridge Town Centre.

For the 34thtime!

Every July Drumshanbo plays host to the award-winning Joe Mooney Summer School, a week-long festival of traditional Irish music, song and dance named after the man who did so much to promote the cause of Leitrim and his beloved town. The committee continues to emulate his high ideals, endeavouring to promote Leitrim's heritage of traditional music while handing on the best traditions of the past to future generations.

Advertises many Irish events as well as this 11 day festival.

An 11 day feast of visual art, classical music, theatre and dance, jazz world and traditional Irish music, literature, film, architecture, indie music, craft and children's events.

The HowthRootsandBluesFestival is a free music festival in Howth showcasing the best in Irish roots and blues artists.

While many of the artists are blues based the festival caters for fans of Country, Rhythm and Blues, Bluegrass, Americanna and reggae. Basically anything rootsy!!

The festival will take place across 6 local venues.

As ever Ireland's unique Irish Traditional Music Festival will be 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 have mesmerised audiences all over the world.

It's a festival about guitars - the clue's in the name. So fair bit of acoustic stuff.

A celebration of the guitar. It is not starch collared or stuffy nosed, from virtuosos.

The Festival is run by a small not for profit organisation of music lovers and we are very proud of the rich, relaxed, educational, exciting & artistic environment our festival creates in our beautiful seaside town.

For the duration of our festival our whole town is the stage with performances & events happening in all manner of venue from the local schools & library to the bars & butcher shops!

Traditional music from Ireland and England too. One of the major Irish festivals.

Since its birth in 1979, Cork Folk Festival has earned a reputation for bringing together some of the biggest names on the traditional and folk scene - as well as championing some of its up-and-coming stars.

Sligo Live Sessions is a national festival celebrating traditional, roots and acoustic music. Now in its eighth year, it has carved out a niche as one of the most relaxed, intimate and enjoyable music festivals in Ireland. Sligo Live.

100 events, many free, All Indoors. Intimate Concerts.Street Markets.Over 350 artists.Dynamic pub sessions. Cafe Culture & Sligo Live Showcase.

An international festival of mainly bagpipe-based traditional music.
The William Kennedy Piping Festival celebrate the life and work of the popular 18th century piper. Pipe maker and inventor.

In it's 30th year now.