LONG gone are the days of the three-hour drive to get from Belfast and other benighted places in the north to Dublin.
Back in the day, I was usually brought to the capital for an All-Ireland final by Guinness-drinking, Players-smoking, dark-suited men in a long-established rite of passage towards adulthood. I don’t ever remember being taken to Dublin for a concert and the city (mistakenly) seemed bereft of traditional music to my early teen ears.
Now however, older and wiser, I am trying to work out what I can't afford to miss at the upcoming TradFest, Liffeyside’s annual toe-tapping musical extravaganza, a festival of trad, folk and world music which runs from January 23-27.
While the capital always had a strong musical tradition, I would suggest that it has never been stronger than it is today and TradFest will prove that with a wealth of talent to showcase in some of the most iconic and atmospheric buildings in the city, many of which didn’t exist when the world was in black and white.
The music has changed too and the level of musicianship is getting as high as the Spike so you can enjoy exciting headline concerts, see artists up close and personal in the free Front Row Sessions, celebrate trad with all the family, discover new and emerging talent in the Live at the Hub series and even try your hand at a songwriting workshop.
Of course, no Dublin music festival would be complete without a celebration of Ronnie Drew, The Dubliners and others as performed in story and song by Ronnie’s son, Phelim.
So while sitting writing out my wish list, there are some things that really stand out.
For instance, the Front Row Sessions is a unique event featuring some of the very best in trad and folk music, in the intimate setting of the pubs on Temple Bar. This gives music fans the chance to see the very best acts up close for free – but advance booking is vital as ticket numbers are limited).
Audiences can look forward to Stockton’s Wing, Paddy Casey, The Fureys, The Henry Girls, The Kilkennys and Young Folk.
There’s business to be done too. Live At The Hub concerts have over the years become an important part of TradFest, introducing new music to agents and managers, potentially propelling performers to the next level of their career. All acts have a unique sound and talent and are not to be missed when they perform at the Tradhub at The Old Schoolhouse, Crown Alley.
Every festival worth its salt has a fringe and TradFest is no exception. In this year’s Tradfringe, you can go behind the music, learn more about your roots in a genealogy workshop, or delve into the origin of Irish surnames, take a songwriting workshop with Eleanor McEvoy, explore the art of sean-nós in a workshop with Oonagh McArdle, see the premieres of two new documentaries about Irish musicians – Slán leis an gCeol/Farewell to Music, which is a lyrical portrait of Tony MacMahon after he is diagnosed with Parkinson's and is losing his ability to play, and Starboard Home which is celebrated the bond between Dublin’s port city and river through music, song and spoken word.
But I suppose every festival is judged by its headline concerts and there are many which will merit a tank of petrol or the price of the Enterprise or the Aircoach.
In no particular order, I’d definitely head to the Bríd Harper and Arty McGlynn gig (with Seána Davey and Stephen Doherty.)
Bríd is an Irish traditional fiddle player from Castlefinn, Co Donegal, although she is now living near Dungannon in Co Tyrone. Bríd has been hailed as one of the leading exponents of traditional fiddle playing of our time. She is joined by Omagh’s Arty McGlynn, the recent subject of a brilliant TG4 profile, Sé mo Laoch.
In addition to his solo work, Arty has collaborated with different notable groups such as Patrick Street, Planxty, Four Men and a Dog, De Dannan and the Van Morrison Band so it should be a great gig on Thursday January 24 at 7.30pm in the City Hall in Dublin.
Another favourite of mine is the mighty (but humble) talent that is Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, a man who has brought the 10-string hardanger d’amore into the mainstream – OK, maybe not – but he travels the world as a solo musician, in various duos, and as a member of two bands, The Gloaming and This is How we Fly.
He has performed on some of the most beautiful stages in the world, including the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall and New York’s Lincoln Center. He has released 16 recordings to date, ranging from quite traditional to “fairly out there” and continues to explore that region where traditional music begins to “disintegrate”.
?You can witness the whole thing on Sunday January 27 at 3.30pm in Rathfarnham Castle.
Another gig not to miss is Carlos Nuñez.
The Los Angeles Times suggested that “if it’s possible to become a pop star playing traditional music on bagpipes and recorder, Nuñez could be the man!” However, few pop stars pack the energy, virtuosity, imagination, daring, and charisma into their concerts and recordings as the Galician multi-instrumentalist does.
He is the world’s most famous player of the gaita, the bagpipes of Galicia, Spain’s north west, Atlantic Ocean-abutting region rich in vibrant, uniquely expressive Celtic traditional music. Carlos plays Dublin Castle on Friday January 25 at 8pm.
Those are just three gigs I can fit in but your mouths should be watering at the prospect of gigs that just speak for themselves – Andy Irvine at Rathfarnham Castle; Cathy Davey performing songs from her fifth and latest album live at Dublin Unitarian Church on January 25; Radie Peat of Lankum at the Pepper Canister Church on January 27, while another mustn’t miss is the Trad Gala which will feature Danú, the McGoldrick Trio, and the Green Fields of America.
And that is just a taster of what is going to be a brilliant festival.
:: Tickets for Tradfest are now on sale. For full line-up and details or to book tickets, go to tradfest.ie
