Ireland’s largest traditional Irish and folk music festival is back and bigger than ever before. TradFest 2024 will see an extended line-up of acts from previous years including Lúnasa, Mary Black, Tom Paxton, Altan and Janis Ian.
More than 80 concerts will be held over five days in Dublin, so if you see crowds of geansaí-wearing trad lovers whizzing across the city, they’re probably between gigs.
A highlight will be legendary folk artist Janis Ian. She will speak about her life in a special event on Sunday evening. The event will feature Ian discussing her life and career. The event will not showcase a performance by Ian due to vocal fold scarring, but it will feature a rich programme celebrating her vast contributions to music with performances of her work by Mary Black, Wallis Bird, Aoife Scott and others.
Grammy award-winning Tom Paxton will take part in a special celebration gig on Thursday, joining Declan O’Rourke, Camille O’Sullivan and Lúnasa to celebrate the 80th birthday of legendary folk star Ralph McTell.
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The festival will once again see a strong showing of women headliners, with one event showcasing the findings of research to help other festival organisers improve their gender representation on stage. In 2023, the festival achieved a male-woman artist ratio of 58:40.
When and where is it on?
Running from January 22nd-28th at venues across Dublin city centre and Fingal, TradFest hosts a line-up of nationally and internationally renowned artists. Venue information can be found for each event here.
Are there any tickets left?
Yes. Tickets for each event can be purchased on the festival website until 4pm on the day of the performance. If there are tickets left over they can be purchased at the venue doors.
Some of the higher-profile events, such as the Altan gig on Friday or the interview with folk star Janis Ian at the Séamus Ennis Arts Centre, are sold out. Festival organisers have announced some ticket giveaways on social media, so keep up to date on the festival social media accounts for live information as the weeks go on. Find information on Instagram, X, or Facebook. More than 50 of the gigs are free. There are no ticket refunds or ticket swaps.
Who is playing and when?
Trad and folk artists will play in venues across the city and county. The venues are Button Factory, Castle Hall and Hibernia Conference Centre at Dublin Castle, Donabate Parish Hall, Draíocht, Malahide Castle, Collins Barracks, Skerries Mills, St Patrick’s Church Donabate, The Chapel at Swords Castle, The GPO Museum, The Grand Hotel, The Grand Social, The Millbank Theatre, The National Stadium, The Pepper Canister Church and The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre. See Smithwick’s Sessions on the festival website for free unticketed shows in Temple Bar. There are also Fringe Events on across the city and Fingal with walking tours, film talks and more on offer. There is a special line-up of events aimed at children too.
Monday, January 22nd
Hibernia Conference Centre, Dublin Castle
- 7pm: RTÉ radio 1′s Arena broadcast live from TradFest at Dublin Castle with live performances and interviews from TradFest headliners including Stockton’s Wing, Yankari, Strange Boy, Indeceltic and more.
Tuesday, January 23rd
Hibernia Conference Centre, Dublin Castle
- 7pm: RTÉ radio 1′s Arena broadcast live from TradFest at Dublin Castle with live performances and interviews from TradFest headliners including Janis Ian, Toshín, Ralph McTell, Aoife Scott, Neil Martin and Louise Mulcahy.
Wednesday, January 24th,
Collins Barracks
- 1pm: Molly Donnery
Castle Hall at Dublin Castle
- 1pm: Free Spirits of the Road: Music & Story in Traveller Culture (A talk)
Hibernia Conference Centre, Dublin Castle
- 7pm: Paddy Keenan & Guests
The Pepper Canister Church
- 7.30pm: Padraig Rynne / Tara Breen / Jim Murray
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St Patrick’s Cathedral
- 7.30pm: Women of Note
Draíocht
- 8pm: Remembering Ronnie with Phelim Drew through songs and stories
Button Factory
- 8.30pm: WeAreGriot presents Sthory
Thursday, January 25th
Collins Barracks
- 1pm: Angelina Carberry
Castle Hall at Dublin Castle
- 1pm: Free Spirits of the Road: Songs and Pipes (A Talk)
- 7pm: Steo Wall, Niamh Dunne & Sharyn Ward
Hibernia Conference Centre, Dublin Castle
- 7pm: Paddy Keenan & Guests
The National Stadium
- 7.30pm: Ralph McTell, Lúnasa, Declan O’Rourke, Camille O’Sullivan, Tom Paxton
St Patrick’s Cathedral
- 7.30pm: Julie Fowlis
The Pepper Canister Church
- 7.30pm: Maurice Lennon Trio
Button Factory
- 8.30pm: Dublin Pride Trad Géilí
The Grand Social
- 8.30pm: The Raines
The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre
- 8.30pm: In Conversation with Janis Ian
Friday, January 26th
Malahide Castle
- 1pm: Niwel Tsumbu
- 5pm: Michelle Mulcahy
The Chapel, Swords Castle
- 1pm: Indeceltic
- 5pm: Liam Ó Maonlaí
Collins Barracks
- 1pm: Tara Howley
Castle Hall at Dublin Castle
- 7pm: Alannah Thornburgh
The Pepper Canister Church
- 7.30pm: Altan
The National Stadium
- 7.30pm: Féile Kíla le Práis with Yankari
St Patrick’s Cathedral
- 7.30pm: Allison Russell
The Grand Hotel
- 8pm: Stockton’s Wing
Button Factory
- 8.30pm: Strange Boy
The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre
- 8.30pm: In Conversation with Ralph McTell
The Grand Social
- 8.30pm: Ispíní Na hÉireann
Saturday, January 27th
Collins Barracks
- 1pm: Oisín Morrison
- Music therapy with Tommy Hayes, for up to 10 years old, 10-17 years old and adults
Malahide Castle
- 1pm: Sive
- 5pm: Laoise Kelly
The Pepper Canister Church
- 1pm: Niamh Farrell / Varo
- 4pm: Cuas / Padraig Jack
- 7.30pm: Máirtín O’Connor Trio
The Chapel, Swords Castle
- 1pm: Nuala Kennedy / Tara Breen / Tony Byrne
- 5pm: Zoë Conway and John Mc Intyre
The Millbank Theatre
- 1pm: Bríd Harper
- 5pm: Gerry O’Connor, Tony Byrne, Fiach O’Connor
Castle Hall at Dublin Castle
- 7pm: David Howley
St Patrick’s Cathedral
- 7.30pm: Carlos Núñez
The National Stadium
- 7.30pm: Transatlantic Women: Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, Alison Brown, Aoife O’Donovan, Eileen Ivers
The Grand Social
- 8.30pm: The Deadlians
The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre
- 8.30pm: Timothy O’Grady: I Could Read the Sky ft. Cathy Jordan, Louise & Michelle Mulcahy
Sunday, January 28th
Malahide Castle
- 1pm: Farah Elle
- 5pm: Niamh Bury
The Chapel, Swords Castle
- 1pm: Síle Denvir
- 5pm: Cathy Jordan & Feargal Murray
The Millbank Theatre
- 1pm: Brian Kennedy
- 5pm: Freddie White
Skerries Mills
- 1pm: Aisling Lyons
- 5pm: Shane Hennessy
Donabate Parish Hall
- 1pm: Gerry O’Connor and friends (matinee)
- 4pm: Gerry O’Connor and friends
The Pepper Canister Church
- 2pm: Brigid Mae Power
- 6pm: Lumiere
The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre
- 2pm: Brenda Castles & friends – Plight of the Bumble Bee
St Patrick’s Church, Donabate
- 6pm: Ocean Child – The Tragic Tale of the RMS Tayleur – ‘The First Titanic’
The National Stadium
- 7.30pm: Janis Ian – A Life Between the Lines
What time should I arrive?
Doors for all concerts open 30 minutes before the start time. Seating in the venues is unallocated and works on a first come first served basis.
How do I get there?
Events are spread out across Dublin. To ensure swift access to the venue consider taking public transport and leaving plenty of time for arrival, especially with venues located in the city centre.
Mobility-impaired access: All venues other than Collins Barracks and The Grand Social are wheelchair accessible. Contact festival organisers in advance to arrange early arrival and assistance at a venue.
Do I have to pay for a babysitter?
Not necessarily. Children can attend selected events, including the National Stadium concerts, which can be found on the festival website. Gigs at The Grand Social and Button Factory are strictly over 18s.
What’s the weather going to be like?
It’s going to be a mixed bag according to Met Éireann forecasts. Wednesday will be dry and cloudy, peaking at 10 degrees (a far cry from the ice last week). Thursday is set to see scattered showers across Dublin, and Friday and Saturday are forecast to be a little cooler and drier. So wherever you’re planning to head, best to bring a warm and waterproof jacket.
