Tradfest 2026 in Fingal gets underway this week as Ireland’s largest trad and folk music festival invites audiences to experience the best of live music in the beautiful atmospheric setting of Fingal.
An expanded community programme this year includes a pop-up Gaeltacht for kids, community singing session, pub sessions, film screenings, a photo exhibition featuring Lusk’s Thomas Ashe pipe bands and more.
The full Tradfest programme was recently launched by President Catherine Connolly at an event in the GPO.
Uachtarán na hÉireann Catherine Connolly said:
“TradFest lights up the dark days of January…..traditional music and Irish culture can be a unifying force, with its visible revival helping to enrich the collective understanding of Irish identity in the 21st century.
“Events such as TradFest offer us all an important opportunity to immerse ourselves in the beauty of music and the arts, to celebrate the talents and creativity of our performers, to find resonance with each other and the world around us, and to create lasting memories together.”
Following on from a very successful TradFest in Fingal in 2025, the festival will proudly return to many of Fingal’s unique and historic venues, including Ardgillan Castle, Malahide Castle, Swords Castle Chapel, The Millbank Theatre, Draíocht Theatre and The Séamus Ennis Arts Centre.
It will also expand its musical footprint to include exciting new venues such as The Little Theatre in Skerries, Saint Macullin Community Centre in Lusk, as well as the Lusk Cultural Centre.
Showcasing the best of established and emerging musical talent, this joyful celebration of culture is reimagining and redefining Irish music and bringing it to audiences across Fingal.
Fingal Acts for 2026 include: Ralph McTell & Stocktons Wing, Feile Barney McKenna, The Dublin Legends (formerly the Dubliners). Derek Warfield & the Young Wolfe Tones, Altan, Freddie White, Padraig Jack, Emma Langford, Aine Tyrell, Caoimhin O Raghallaigh, Gerry O Connor & Friends, Phelim Drew, Stephen Rea, Diane Cannon, Niamh Bury, Sean Collins, The Fingal Mummers, The Black Raven Pipe Band, Thru, The Fingal Gospel Choir, and many more to be announced.
As part of TradFest 2026, we’re also celebrating the life and career of the legendary Barney McKenna with Féile Barney, a three -day festival in The Abbey Tavern in Howth, the seaside town he called home.
The celebration will include concerts, pub sessions, banjo masterclasses, and a photo exhibition. Barney McKenna’s playing of the tenor banjo was the backbone of The Dubliners’ music, with his unique plectrum style becoming known as “The McKenna Grip” and over the years, he became affectionately known as “Banjo Barney.”
Speaking at the Fingal launch, Mayor Fingal, Cllr Tom O’Leary said: “It’s fantastic to have TradFest return to Fingal with a heartfelt salute to Howth’s own Barney McKenna.
“We are very proud of our connection to one of Ireland’s most iconic musicians and we are delighted he is being recognised in this way.
“Together with a stellar programme of concerts across Fingal, this tribute captures why TradFest is such a beloved, meaningful festival for us all.”
In line with its audience development objectives, TradFest also will deliver an expanded community programme later this year which will outline a series of new exciting, free community-led events in Fingal including a pop-up Gaeltacht for kids, community singing session, pub sessions, film screens, a photo exhibition featuring Lusk’s Thomas Ashe pipe bands and more.
Chief Executive of Fingal, AnnMarie Farrelly said: “TradFest is now a flagship part of Fingal’s cultural calendar, giving locals and visitors the chance to come together and experience the best of Irish traditional and folk music.
“Across our historic venues, the festival builds community pride and welcome in equal measure.
“We’re proud to support an event that celebrates our heritage while inspiring new generations of musicians and fans.”
Whether you love live music or are just looking for a night of Irish culture and craic, TradFest is where you want to be this week.
For full details see www.tradfest.com