When music comes to Dublin town

A NEW festival will celebrate the musical talent available on our doorsteps in the coming weeks. 

MusicTown aims to make Dublin’s music relatable and accessible, and instil a sense of pride in the city’s musical heritage, legacy and artists.

The MusicTown festival will take place across a number of venues in Dublin from April 6 to 17. 

The festival will cater for all musical tastes through concerts, workshops, master classes and talks. Everything from classical to pop and from trad to rock will be covered. There will even be some opera, electronic and psychedelic events for those interested.

One of the big events celebrating Dublin’s flourishing trad and folk scene is ‘Trad Rising’, which will bring some of the country’s best bands together for a full evening of music in the Button Factory.

The gig will feature Lynched, Twin Headed Wolf, Skippers Alley, Landless, Danny Diamond, Slow Moving Clouds and Ye Vagabonds on an action-packed bill.

With so much going on, the musicians themselves are looking forward to the night.

“It will be celebrating the whole buzz that’s going on in the trad scene at the moment,” said Brían Mac Gloinn, of Ye Vagabonds.

The singer and musician from Carlow is looking forward to Trad Rising as it “will be a group of our mates from the folk scene in Dublin”.

Trad Rising is just one of the many events planned for the 12-day festival. Other nights to keep an eye on are Mary Coughlan’s new stage piece ‘House of III Respute’, inspired by her 2008 album of the same name, and a gig curated by well-known music blogger Nialler9, which will feature David Kitt, I Have Tribe and AE Mak.

Tickets for the festival vary in price, although several concerts, master classes, workshops and talks are free of charge. Tickets and more information on the festival’s schedule are available at www.musictown.ie.

Eoin Lúc Ó Ceallaigh