Tradition Now: Ye Vagabonds, Cormac Begley, Strange Boy & more for October festival at NCH
Tradition Now has announced a return to the National Concert Hall, this October with a lineup of folk and trad acts across the weekend of Saturday October 7th and Sunday October 8th.
Folk duo Ye Vagabonds headline Saturday, concertina player Cormac Begley headlines Sunday, while Limerick rapper and Liam O’Flynn award recipient Strange Boy, fiddle player Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and more are to play the weekend, which is an Initiative of the Arts Council and National Concert Hall.
The two-day event also sees performances from singer and flautist Cathal McConnell, Scottish smallpipes virtuoso Brìghde Chaimbeul and more.
Tickets €25 On Sale Friday June 16th from NCH.
- Ye Vagabonds
- Strange Boy
- Cathal McConnell’s Variations with Nuala Kennedy, Tara Breen and Tony Byrne
- The John Field Rooms Sessions
- Cormac Begley
- Doireann Ní Ghlacáin
- Damien O’Kane & Ron Block
- Brìghde Chaimbeul
Limerick poet/rapper Strange Boy (October 7) performs in the NCH for the first time since receiving the 2023 Liam O’Flynn Award. His unique method of combining hip hop and Irish traditional music with hard-hitting lyrics saw his debut album Holy / Unholy win rave reviews. He presents new work developed as part of his residency at NCH supported by the Liam O’Flynn Award.
Accomplished fiddle player, sean nós singer, academic and broadcaster Doireann Ní Ghlacáin (October 8) presents her new multimedia project at Tradition Now. Say a Song combines the worlds of music, literature and technology to breathe new life into the sean nós tradition, with the help of leading Irish writers and visual artists.
In addition, Fermanagh’s legendary singer and flute player Cathal McConnell (October 7) will take to the NCH stage with singer and flautist Nuala Kennedy, Clare fiddle maestro Tara Breen and Dublin guitarist Tony Byrne. Cathal will discuss and perform some of his uniquely creative ‘variations’ on traditional tunes and talk about his life in music.
Elsewhere on the bill, Irish tenor banjo player Damien O’Kane (October 8) joins forces with American bluegrass banjo player Ron Block for a very special sonic union of transatlantic cultures, and Scottish smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul (October 8) makes a welcome return. Brìghde has just released sublime second album Carry Them With Us.
Tradition Now is an initiative of the Arts Council and National Concert Hall and is supported by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
