Smithfield Fleadh comes to Smithfield Square this June

Dublin City Council has announced ‘Smithfield Fleadh’, a new family-friendly festival will be held on Smithfield Square on June 18 and 19 2022.

The council has revealed that the festival will include sean-nós dancers, The Dublin Lasses (Sibéal Davitt and Friends), a new children’s traditional music and puppet show called ‘TREEHOUSE’ by Ceol Connected, and Cormac Begley & Friends. Doireann Glackin, TG4 presenter and fiddle player, will MC over the weekend.

“We are thrilled to announce more than 20 acts will perform over the weekend,” said the Lord Mayor of Dublin Alison Gilliland.

“There will be a mix of music and dance for all ages to enjoy, and we also invite people to engage at a number of workshops scheduled.

“We hope people will come to Smithfield to experience this new event and enjoy the wonderful talent we have here in Dublin.

“The city is coming alive again and we want to see more family friendly events like these to bring people together and back into the city.

“We have a great programme for its first year and hope we can keep coming back every summer as the Irish trad and folk scene grows.”

‘Smithfield Fleadh’ will include an outdoor street performance area called ‘An Stáitsín Fánach’ where there will be performances from The Fingal Mummers, a group continuing a traditional carnival-styled play in masquerade.

This area will also see The Night Before Larry Got Stretched present The Megaphone Project, a pop-up performance of Irish traditional song in the modern day inspired by the archival recordings of John Martin, a lively street singer who travelled around the fairs of Ireland in the 1950s.

As well as showcasing emerging Irish talent, the programme welcomes well-known legends of the folk and traditional music scene.

The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) hosts Paddy Glackin, a renowned fiddle player who was recently announced as the recipient of the TG4 Gradam Ceoil musician award, for a chat and to play a few tunes in the Puball Éigse at 4pm on Saturday, June 18.

ITMA will host another star in the traditional world; an Irish traveller, singer and songwriter, Thomas McCarthy, awarded Traditional Singer of the Year in the Gradam Ceoil Awards 2019, who will be discussing and sharing his work at 4pm on Sunday, June 19.

The two-day event will kick off at midday and finish at 6pm both days.

Please visit Dublin.ie/Smithfieldfleadh to see the full programme which may be subject to change.