Ireland’s largest gathering of trad and folk music is back bigger and better than ever with tickets going on sale this Friday September 1st and only available at www.tradfest.com 

In keeping with the festival’s commitment to equity, diversity & inclusivity we will again see a strong showing of women headline artists. Key highlights of the 2024 lineup will include ‘Janis Ian- A Life Between the Lines’, an evening honoring the life and works of legendary singer/songwriter Janis Ian. The event will feature Ian discussing her life and career as well as performances of her work by friends and colleagues.

Ian wrote her breakthrough hit, “Society’s Child,” at the age of 14 in 1965. It was the first charted song to speak about interracial romance and marked both her first Top 20 hit and first gold record. In 1966, Ian paved the way again by becoming the first female artist to write every track on her debut album (“Janis Ian”), long before Joni Mitchell or Carole King did. She continued her fearless journey by becoming one of the first gay pop stars to come out in the early 1990s and by championing free downloads of her music back when the industry fought hard against it. Known for such evergreen songs as “Jesse,” “Stars,” “Fly Too High”, and “At Seventeen,” her album Between the Lines was a five-time GRAMMY nominee, again breaking records by becoming the first female artist to have that many nominations for an entirely self-penned album. She went on to expand her career internationally, with #1 albums in the Netherlands, Ireland, UK, S. Africa, Australia, and Japan, where Aftertones stayed in the #1 position for a stunning six months. Her songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Celine Dion, Nina Simone, Hugh Masekela, Bette Midler, John Mellencamp, Glen Campbell, Cher, and Violet Grohl (accompanied by her Foo Fighter father Dave Grohl).

Hailed by The Guardian as “sensational” Janis Ian’s latest album, The Light at the End of the Line, sadly marks the last album of new songs and recordings by Ian, who is now unable to tour as a vocalist due to a virus that created scarring on her vocal cords. The GRAMMY nominated album marks the icon’s 10th nomination in eight categories over the past six decades, a feat held only by an impressive few including Quincy Jones and Glen Campbell. She’s taken home the coveted trophy twice, first in 1975 for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for “At Seventeen” and the second in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Album for her autobiography, Society’s Child: My Autobiography. In 2023, the album led to Ian winning the International Folk Music Award’s Artist of the Year which also coincided with the organization honoring her with their Lifetime Achievement Award.

TradFest will also honour another folk stalwart Ralph McTell, with a very special 80^th birthday celebration concert. Ralph will be accompanied on the night by a number of well-known Irish folk artists; Saturday night will see an all-women gala concert, hosted by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (of Altan fame) titled Transatlantic Women. It will be an evening of music celebrating women from both sides of the Atlantic including US grammy award winners Aoife O’ Donovan and Alison Brown, as well as legendary US fiddle player Eileen Ivers, The Friel Sisters, Edwina Guckian & more.

TradFest will host ever-popular festival regulars Kíla and Aoife Scott (Women of Note) and new acts including Afro beat band Yankari and folk punk band The Deadlians. St Patrick’s Cathedral will welcome back Galician piper, Carlos Núñez, Scottish singer Julie Fowlis. Singer/songwriter/musician Steo Wall will curate 2 days of concerts and talks at Dublin Castle highlighting the role traveller musicians have played in the development of Irish traditional music. Concerts will include The Bothy Band’s Paddy Keenan, Beoga’s Niamh Dunne and singer Sharyn Ward.

Iconic venues hosting this year’s TradFest include Dublin Castle, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the National Stadium, The Pepper Canister Church, The National Museum of Ireland, The GPO, The Button Factory, The Grand Social and a host of other heritage and contemporary music venues across Dublin. Another 70 plus concerts including the hugely popular Smithwicks Sessions and a new partnership with Fingal County Council will be announced later in September, keep an eye on social media and the festival website for all updates.

As ever, the first trad and folk music festival of the year lights up the dark winter evenings, with an expansive programme celebrating old favorites returning for 2024 as well as some exciting rising stars making their TradFest debut.

Tickets start from €14.99. There are also family tickets (admit 2 adults and up to 4 children under 16) available for the National Stadium shows. Go to www.tradfest.com for full details.

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