Letterkenny Trad Week to feature jam-packed programme

The upcoming Letterkenny Trad Week gives everyone something to look forward to and provides the perfect antidote to our post-Christmas blues. 

The ninth annual Trad Week from January 19 to 31 features a jam-packed programme of exceptional concerts at the Regional Cultural Centre and An Grianán Theatre. As is often the case, Trad Week lasts for more than a week and has six great evening gigs at the RCC and one evening concert and two free lunchtime concerts at An Grianan.

Letterkenny Trad Week, first held in January 2015, is a major celebration of Irish traditional, folk and world music. Every year the event brings some of the world’s finest traditional musicians from Ireland, the United Kingdom and further afield to Donegal. World-renowned artists who have performed at Trad Week include Billy Bragg & Joe Henry, Altan, String Sisters, Lau, Julie Fowlis, Usher’s Island, Martin & Eliza Carthy, Lankum, Xylouris White, Special Consensus, Maura O’Connell, Lisa O’Neill, Sharon Shannon, Michael McGoldrick and Dezi Donnelly, and many more.

Trad Week 2024 kicks off with the legendary Luka Bloom on Friday 19, the twice Grammy-nominated artist, Iarla Ó Lionáird performs with Cormac McCarthy and Matthew Berrill on Saturday 20 and NOTIFY, the six-piece contemporary instrumental ensemble, complete the first weekend on Sunday 21. The group is made up of Pádraig Rynne (concertina), Tara Breen (fiddle), Davie Ryan (drums), Rory McCarthy (piano), Adam Taylor (electric bass) and Hugh Dillon (guitars).

Nodlaig Ní Bhrollaigh, the renowned singer and musician from Dungiven, gives a special concert to launch her highly anticipated new album ‘Cuimhní Rúnda’ on Friday 26. The world-renowned six-piece band Arcanadh are in concert on Saturday 27.

The line-up consists of Martin Gallen (guitar and vocals), Colm Breathnach (banjo and vocals}, Maria Corbet (harp and vocals), Fiona Walsh (fiddle and vocals), Sinead Gibson (whistles and vocals) and Mags Gallen (piano, fiddle and vocals). Arcanadh will be joined by Donegal young supergroup Coirm with a performance of a new work composed by Catriona Ní Ghribín, specially commissioned by the RCC and Ceol na Coille. The final RCC Trad Week gig is Scullion on Sunday 28. Formed way back in the mid-1970’s, Scullion are revered as one of Ireland’s most innovative, original and brilliant live bands.

The final evening concert features the brilliant duo of Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly at An Grianán Theatre on Wednesday 31. Rónán and Myles’ unique sound and devoted friendship make for a truly magic live show that is not to be missed. The two free lunchtime concerts at An Grianan feature Jack Houston, a young fiddle player from Burt who will perform tunes from his recently released debut solo album Ómós on Thursday 25 and Galway-based singer-songwriter Brigid Mae Power, acclaimed as a purveyor of dreamy pop with folky leanings, on Friday 26.

So do yourself a big favour and get along to one or more of these great events. The Trad Week box office is located at An Grianán Theatre, Port Road, Letterkenny, (074) 912 0777 or online at regionalculturalcentre.com. Letterkenny Trad Week is kindly supported by the Arts Council and Donegal County Council.