Ireland. A Feast of Festivals

Visiting an Irish Music Festival should be on the must-do list for any visitor to Ireland. It is not easy however to find information on these, especially the smaller ones. I am often asked by my friends in the blogosphere what is on and when during their proposed visit. I’m happy to help where I can but I thought a list might be useful to anyone planning a trip. On researching this I found a number of sites where festivals are listed but they are incomplete or not up to date. I am sure I too have left some out and I’ve only included those from March through September 2018 but if you are aware of a festival that I’ve missed let me know and I’ll add it.

Do try and incorporate a festival on your next trip; you’ll be made very welcome.

Festival	Location	Start	Finish
Shannonside Winter Music Festival	Six Mile Bridge, Clare	January?
TradFest Temple Bar	Dublin	January?
IMBOLC International Music Festival	Derry	January?
Packie Duignan weekend	Drumshanbo, Leitrim	January?
Feile na Tana	Carlingford, Louth	February?
Scoil Cheoil an Earraigh	Ballyferriter, Kerry	February?
The Gathering Traditional Festival	Killarney, Kerry	February?
Concertina Cruinniú	Miltown Malbay, Clare	February?
Russell Memorial Weekend	Doolin, Clare	February?
Welsh Annual Singers Weekend	Ballyvaughan, Clare	February?
Mount Leinster Traditional Music Festival	Borris, Carlow	February?
Tionól Niocláis Tóibín	An Rinn, Waterford	February?
Éigse an Spidéil,	Spiddal, Galway	14 Feb 18	18 Feb 18
Corofin Traditional Festival	Corofin, Clare	27 Feb 18	4 Mar 18
Aran Celtic Music Festival	Inis Mor, Galway	9 Mar 18	11 Mar 18
NYAH Traditional Music Festival	Cavan	10 Mar 18	17 Mar 18
Kilkenny Tradfest	Kilkenny	17 Mar 18	18 Mar 18
Ceardlann Earraigh	Celbridge, Kildare	23 Mar 18	25 Mar 18
Inishowen Singing Festival	Donegal	23 Mar 18	26 Mar 18
Blossom Harp Festival	Tuamgraney, Clare	23 Mar 18	25 Mar 18
Feile Patrick Byrne	Carrickmacross, Monaghan	24 Mar 18	25 Mar 18
Maurice O’Keefe Weekend	Kiskeam, Cork	31 Mar 18	1 Apr 18
Carlow Pan Celtic Festival	Carlow	3 Apr 18	8 Apr 18
Clifden Trad Fest	Clifden, Galway	5 Apr 18	8 Apr 18
Cruinniú na bhFliúit Flute Meeting	Ballyvourney, Cork	4 Apr 18	7 Apr 18
Consairtin	Ennis, Clare	6 Apr 18	8 Apr 18
Ballydehob Traditional Music Festival	Ballydehob, Cork	13 Apr 18	15 Apr 18
Kilfenora Music Festival	Kilfenora Clare	27 Apr 18	30 Apr 18
Feile Neidin, Kenmare Irish Music Festival	Kenmare, Kerry	April?
Fleadh nagCuach (Cuckoo Fleadh)	Kinvara, Galway	4 May 18	6 May 18
Joe Heaney Festival	Carna, Galway	4 May 18	7 May 18
Cup of Tae Festival	Ardara, Donegal	4 May 18	7 May 18
Feile Chois Cuain	Louisburgh, Mayo	4 May 18	7 May 18
Carrigaholt Oyster & Trad Festival	Carrigaholt, Clare	5 May 18	7 May 18
Cos Cos Sean Nos Festival	Drumcliffe, Sligo	7 May 18	13 May 18
Fiddle Fair	Baltimore, Cork	10 May 18	13 May 18
Feile Chnoc na Gaoithe, Tulla Trad Music Festival	Tulla, Clare	11 May 18	13 May 18
Skerries Traditional Music Weekend	Skerries, Dublin	18 May 18	20 May 18
World Fiddle Day	Scartaglin, Kerry	18 May 18	20 May 18
World Fiddle Day	Glenties, Donegal	20 May 18
Fleadh Nua	Ennis, Clare	20 May 18	28 May 18
Michael Dwyer Festival	Allihies, Cork	8 Jun 18	10 Jun 18
Doolin Folk Festival	Doolin, Clare	15 Jun 18	17 Jun 18
Con Curtin Festival	Brosna, Kerry	23 Jun 18	25 Jun 18
Jim Dowling Uilleann Pipe and Trad Festival	Glengarriff, Cork	25 Jun 18	29 Jun 18
Craiceann Summer School	Innis Oir, Galway	25 Jun 18	29 Jun 18
Blas International Summer School	Limerick	25 Jun 18	6 Jul 18
Cross Traditional Music Weekend	Cross, Clare	29 Jun 18	1 Jul 18
An Chúirt Chruitireachta (International Harp Festival)	Termonfechin, Louth	1 Jul 18	6 Jul 18
Feile Brian Boru	Killaloe/Ballina, Clare, Tipperary	4 Jul 18	8 Jul 18
Traidphicnic	Spiddal, Galway	6 Jul 18	8 Jul 18
Scoil Samraidh Willie Clancy	Miltown Malbay, Clare	7 Jul 18	15 Jul 18
Ceol na Coille Summer School	Letterkenny, Donegal	9 Jul 18	13 Jul 18
South Sligo Summer School	Tubbercurry, Sligo	15 Jul 18	21 Jul 18
Fleadh Cheoil Na Mumhan (Munster Fleadh)	Ennis, Clare	15 Jul 18	22 Jul 18
Ceili at the Crossroads Festival	Clarecastle, Clare	15 Jul 18	22 Jul 18
Joe Mooney Summer School	Drumshanbo, Leitrim	21 Jul 18	28 Jul 18
Fiddler’s Green Festival	Rostrevor, Down	22 Jul 18	29 Jul 18
Meitheal Summer School	Ennis, Clare	23 Jul 18	27 Jul 18
Scoil Acla Summer School	Achill Island, Mayo	28 Jul 18	4 Aug 18
Donegal Fiddle Summer School	Glencolmcille, Donegal	30 Jul 18	3 Aug 18
Belfast Summer School of Traditional Music	Belfast	30 Jul 18	3 Aug 18
Sliabh Luachra Summer School	Rockchapel, Cork	July?
Laois Trad Summer School	Portlaoise, Laois	July?
Phil Murphy Weekend	Carrig-on-Bannow, Wexford	July?
Kilrush Traditional Music and Set Dancing Festival	Kilrush, Clare	1 Aug 18	7 Aug 18
Sean McCarthy Weekend Festival	Finuge, Kerry	3 Aug 18	6 Aug 18
James Morrison Traditional Music Festival	Sligo	4 Aug 18	6 Aug 18
O’Carolan Harp Festival	Keadu, Roscommon	4 Aug 18	6 Aug 18
Feakle International Traditional Music Festival	Feakle Clare	8 Aug 18	13 Aug 18
Scully’s Trad Fest	Newmarket, Cork	9 Aug 18	13 Aug 18
Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann	Drogheda, Louth	12 Aug 18	19 Aug 18
Feile Ceol Na Locha	Tourmakeedy, Mayo	13 Aug 18	17 Aug 18
Masters of Tradition	Bantry, Cork	22 Aug 18	26 Aug 18
Crotty Galvin Traditional Music Weekend	Moyasta, Clare	25 Aug 18	27 Aug 18
Ballyshannon Folk and Traditional Music Festival	Ballyshannon, Donegal	August?
Seachtain Ceoil Chois Fharraige	Spiddal, Galway	August?
Fingal Fleadh and Fair,	Swords Castle, Dublin	6 Sep 18	9 Sep 18
Gig’n the Bann	Portglenone, Antrim	13 Sep 18	16 Sep 18
Johnny Doherty Music & Dance Festival	Ardara, Donegal	21 Sep 18	23 Sep 18
Ceol Na gCruach	The Glen Tavern, Donegal	September?
Dingle Tradfest	Dingle, Kerry	September?
Tuam Trad Festival	Tuam, Galway	September?
Gerry Whelan Memorial Weekend	Cootehill, Cavan	September?
Feile Cheoil Larry Reynolds	Ballinasloe, Galway	September?
Frank Harte Festival	Dublin	September?
Music Under the Mountains	Wicklow	September?
Cork Folk Festival	Cork, Cork	September/October?
O’Carolan Harp Festival	Nobber, Meath	5 Oct 18	7 Oct 18
Glenties Fiddlers Weekend	Glenties, Donegal	5 Oct 18	7 Oct 18
Ed Reavy Traditional Music Festival	Cavan	19 Oct 18	21 Oct 18
Foxford Traditional Weekend	Foxford, Mayo	18 Oct 18	21 Oct 18
Sligo Live Folk Roots and Indie Festival	Sligo	24 Oct 18	29 Oct 18
Cooley Collins Festival	Gort, Galway	27 Oct 18	29 Oct 18
Willie Keane weekend	Doonbeg, Clare	27 Oct 18	29 Oct 18
Feile Strokestown	Strokestown, Roscommon	October?
Achill International Harp Festival	Achill Island, Mayo	October?
Scoil Cheoil na Botha	Scotstown, Monaghan	October?
Patrick O’ Keeffe Traditional Music Festival	Castleisland, Kerry	October?
Ennis Trad Fest	Ennis Clare	November?
William Kennedy Piping Festival	Armagh	15 Nov 18	18 Nov 18
Drogheda Traditional Music Weekend	Drogheda, Louth	November?
Éigse Dhiarmuid Uí Shúilleabháin	Ballyvourney, Cork	December?
Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair	Gweedore, Donegal	December?
Trá Buí /Pearse Holmes memorial Traditional Music Weekend.	Dohooma, Mayo	December?

And for those interested in a different experience you can attend any of the County or Provincial Fleadhs, which are to enable qualification to the All Ireland Fleadh, which is in the list above. Here are the dates.