Aisling Lyons, Muireann Ní Shé and Becky Ní Éallaithe.
ENNIS is tuning up for the return of the thirty second TradFest with over 100 sessions taking place.
A five-day programme of events including performances from heavyweights like the Máirtín O’Connor Band, the Karan Casey Trio and Buttons & Bows will take place across Ennis from November 5th to 9th in the county town.
In addition to sessions, album launches, masterclasses, a trad quiz and a céilí, the festival features four flagship concerts showcasing some of the best performers in Irish traditional music today.
Three decades since its inception, Ennis TradFest’s model has been followed by traditional music festivals dotted across the globe. Venues across Ennis will host sessions and album launches.
Ennis Trad Festival chairperson David Stone stated, “We’re really looking forward to welcoming everyone to Ennis for our 32nd festival. There’s a great mix this year, with some of the legends of traditional Irish music alongside a brilliant new generation of musicians and performers. Our flagship concerts are at the heart of the programme, and they showcase the incredible range of trad music being made today. The session trail is a big part of what makes the festival so special and with over one hundred sessions taking place over the five days, the town will be buzzing. We’re also delighted to be bringing traditional musicians from all over Europe to Ennis as part of Ireland’s EU Presidency, it’s a great opportunity to experience different musical traditions and to share our musical heritage”.
Having performed at the likes of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, Belfast Tradfest and Tyrone Tradfest in recent months, acclaimed four-piece band Peter Street takes the stage at the Queens Hotel on Friday (November 6th) for a marquee concert where the group’s virtuosic musicianship and youthful energy will undoubtedly be on display.
On Saturday (November 7th), acclaimed Scottish band Cala will take to the stage, bringing their distinctive post-traditional sound to Ennis. Blending traditional instrumentation with contemporary influences from pop and rock, Cala deliver an energetic, forward-looking take on traditional music that has earned them a reputation for electrifying live performances. Their appearance is an exciting addition to this year’s programme and promises to bring a fresh and dynamic energy to Saturday night’s concert.
A consistent highlight of the festival through the years has been the Sunday night concert and this year will be a special one. Charming audiences since the 1980s, Buttons & Bows, which comprises Sligo brothers Seamus and Manus McGuire on fiddles, Cork virtuoso accordionist Jackie Daly, and Dublin-born guitar and mandocello supremo Garry Ó Briain, will headline the night at the Old Ground Hotel.
Ahead of them will be a newly-formed trio Aisling Lyons, Muireann Ní Shé and Becky Ní Éallaithe, three women at the forefront of traditional practice who will give a performance of sean nós song, traditional music and dance.
Closing night on Monday (November 9th) has a star-studded double bill concert at the Queens Hotel. Performing on the night will be the much-loved Máirtín O’Connor Band, which consists of accordion virtuoso Máirtín O’Connor, fiddler and TG4 Gradam Ceoil Musician of the Year 2026, Cathal Hayden, master guitarist Seamie O’Dowd and renowned percussionist Jimmy Higgins. Blazing a trail for over 30 years, singer-songwriter Karan Casey will appear with the Karan Casey Trio for her trademark ballads, love songs and searing versions of social justice songs.
As part of Ireland’s 2026 Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Ennis Trad Festival is partnering with Clare Arts Office on a special programme bringing traditional musicians from across Europe to Ennis. Curated by the festival, the programme will see European musicians join the renowned session trail, perform alongside Irish musicians in a special free concert at glór and visit local schools to share their musical traditions with young people.
