Beating Time: the Story of the Irish Bodhrán by Fintan Vallely – a forensic examination of a much-neglected instrument
While the drum is now part of many traditional Irish ensembles, it only arrived on the scene in the 1950s
Heading to the Fleadh: Festival, cultural revival and Irish traditional music, 1951-1969 – Professing the power of ‘festival time’
Méabh Ní Fhuartháin brings subtlety and depth to her appraisal of the Fleadh’s progression from grassroots organisation to Ireland’s largest music festival
Two fathers, two sons, two books and an album: the Begleys and the O’Connors collaborate
Into the Loam, by Cormac Begley and Liam O’Connor, arrives alongside Clann na Seanmhuintire, by Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich, and In Safe Hands, by Mick O’Connor
Cormac Begley at Vicar Street review: Milestone performance from concertina master
Fluid, freewheeling and unerring tunes blurred the boundaries between musician and concertina
Fiddler Martin Hayes: ‘I come to the table with whatever little bit I managed to bring off the side of the mountain’
The acclaimed musician reimagines his album Peggy’s Dream with the National Symphony Orchestra this St Patrick’s weekend
RTÉ Folk Awards 2025: The freewheeling spirit at the heart of Ireland’s trad resurgence
From Lankum to Lemoncello, Christy Moore and Róis, the breadth of nominees for this year’s awards reflects the vibrancy and relevance of the contemporary trad scene
Dervish Present the Great Irish Songbook review: Breathing exceptional life into old standards
Amplifying the Irish song tradition at the National Concert Hall is a welcome pitstop on the band’s winding career path
Lyle Lovett in Dublin review: Rich reminder of a stellar songwriting talent
With his acoustic band, this idiosyncratic musician displays the extraordinary breadth and depth of his talent
Lyle Lovett: ‘I’ve never enjoyed anything more than being my children’s dad’
The singer is loving his relatively newfound role as a father, which began at the age of 59
From Notify to Ani DiFranco: The top five trad/folk albums of 2024
Joyful Irish traditional music and politically charged folk feature in our LP picks of the year
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin: A Life in Music: Stellar capture of irrepressible force of nature
Rich collection of essays, poems and reflections on a visionary who breathed life into Ireland’s musical tradition
Cathy Jordan on the Crankie Island Project: ‘It’s like slow TV, take time out and watch the story unfold’
The Dervish singer has collaborated with musicians and visual artists around the island of Ireland to create a ‘crankie box’ song for each county
Earth Sonnet: Mel Mercier’s vast soundscape of poetry and music sticks in the mind long after the performance
Dublin Fringe Festival 2024: The composer’s song cycle sets out to retune our ‘relationship with the earth at this time of climate crisis’
Macdara Yeates: Traditional Singing from Dublin – Passing of the torch in city’s vocal tradition
Possessed of a crystal-clear voice with echoes of the style of Luke Kelly and the emotional depth-charge of Liam Weldon, Yeates’s full-bodied singing is never anything but his own
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh of Altan: ‘Music is like experiences you haven’t had before, and don’t have the words for’
Change characterises Altan’s sound since the aptly titled Donegal, says singer and fiddle player Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh