Belfast TradFest: Creating cultural connections through ceol

Photograph by Claire Loughran

By Dónal O’Connor

This article appeared on RTE, April 17, 2026 at 05.59 BST.

Artistic Director of Belfast TradFest, Dónal O' Connor writes about the vision for the festival in a city that is reshaping and reconfiguring itself post-conflict.

As Artistic Director of Belfast TradFest, I'm often asked what defines the festival, what gives it its identity in a city and a region with such a complex history. The answer lies as much in Belfast itself as in the music we celebrate.

We live in a post-conflict society. While the city has transformed in remarkable ways since the Good Friday Agreement, the legacy of division still shapes how people experience culture, identity and shared spaces. In that context, a festival rooted in tradition carries a particular responsibility.

Questions naturally arise: whose tradition, whose story, whose voice?

Ón tús, rinne Belfast TradFest iarracht freagra a thabhairt ar na ceisteanna sin, ní le focail, ach le gníomh. Is í an fhís atá againn ná spás a chruthú ina mbíonn an ceol traidisiúnta mar phointe cruinnithe seachas mar líne roinnte, áit ar féidir le daoine ó gach cúlra teacht le chéile le fiosracht, le meas agus le taitneamh a bhaint as an cheol le chéile.

Donal Ó Connor, Artistic Director, Belfast TradFest, Grianghraf le Cathal McNaughton

Traditional music, after all, has never been fixed. It moves across borders, absorbs influence, and evolves with the people who carry it. Nowhere is that more evident than in the northeast of Ireland, where the soundscape is shaped by a rich interplay of Irish and Scottish traditions. This is a musical language that reflects centuries of connection, sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle, but always present.

You hear it in the fiddle styles that carry both delicacy and drive, in the phrasing and pulse of the flute, in the power of the pipes, and in the rhythm of the drum. Together, these elements create something distinctive, music that speaks to place, but also to exchange and shared heritage.

Tá an malartú sin lárnach i scéal Belfast TradFest. Cé go bhfuil ceolchoirmeacha i gcroílár na féile, baineann sí freisin le rannpháirtíocht agus rochtain. Trí cheardlanna, máistir-ranganna, cainteanna, léachtaí agus seisiúin, cruthaímid deiseanna do dhaoine dul i ngleic leis an gceol agus leis na ceoltóirí go díreach.

Our summer school, delivered in partnership with Ulster University, is now recognised as Ireland’s fastest growing summer school of traditional music, attracting almost 1,000 students last year. Spanning all ages and abilities, it reflects one of the great strengths of the tradition, that it is not preserved but lived, carried from person to person, a truly multigenerational pursuit, roinnte ó ghlúin go glúin.

Tá an rannpháirtíocht seo traschultúrtha freisin. Tá iarracht déanta againn an fhéile a dhéanamh oscailte do gach traidisiún, agus daoine a thabhairt le chéile ar an stáitse agus lasmuigh de.

Tá tábhacht ar leith leis seo i sochaí iarchoimhlinte. Ní féidir leis an gceol gach rud a réiteach, ach is féidir leis daoine a thabhairt le chéile agus tuiscint a chothú.

At the same time, Belfast TradFest is grounded in a commitment to artistic excellence. Each year, we invite leading performers from across Ireland, the UK and beyond, alongside emerging artists who are shaping the future of traditional music.

Belfast TradFest, grianghraf le Claire Loughran

This year’s programme reflects that ambition. Audiences can look forward to performances from Manchester fiddle legend Dezi Donnelly, the doyenne of Ulster musicians Bríd Harper, Breton flute master Sylvain Barou, the 'world’s greatest tin whistler’ Mary Bergin, rising singing star Piaras Ó Loráin, Conamara sean-nós dance champion Becky Ní Éallaithe, New York’s finest Joanie Madden and Tyrone legend Cathal Hayden, alongside major concert acts including Solas, The Michael McGoldrick Big Band, Flook, Cherish the Ladies and Four Men and a Dog, with lots more across the week.

The scale of the festival reflects both that ambition and the appetite for it. Last year, Belfast TradFest welcomed audiences of over 30,000 people across more than 550 events, working with upwards of 1,000 artists in over 35 of the city’s leading venues. We were proud to attract visitors from 34 countries, underlining the global resonance of this music, while generating a net economic impact of £3.1 million for the local economy.

Those figures are important, but they only tell part of the story. What matters just as much are the smaller moments: the shared tune in a late-night session, the conversation sparked after an inspiring performance, the experience of hearing a tradition anew.

Belfast itself plays a vital role in shaping those experiences. This is a city with a layered past, but also one that is increasingly confident, outward-looking and culturally vibrant. In recent years, Belfast has attracted major national and international events including Oireachtas na Samhna, the One Young World Summit, the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and the TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards, as well as an upcoming Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann and the Celtic Media Festival, alongside global concerts, major sporting fixtures, and international film and television productions such as Game of Thrones (HBO), Derry Girls (Channel 4 / Netflix) and Blue Lights (BBC), and a growing calendar of festivals across music, arts and ideas. There is a real sense of momentum, a city that is energised, welcoming, and now firmly recognised as one of the most exciting places to live in and to visit on these islands.

Trí spásanna ar fud na cathrach a chur chun beochta, idir ionaid mhóra chultúrtha cosúil leis an Ulster Hall, Mandela Hall, Empire Music Hall agus an Black Box, agus áiteanna níos lú cosúil leis na tithe tábhairne is fearr sa tír, ar nós Maddens Bar, The Garrick, Kelly’s Cellars agus an American Bar, tugann Belfast TradFest cuireadh don lucht éisteachta agus féachana taithí úr a fháil ar an gceol agus ar an áit féin.

Le fírinne a rá, is í fís Belfast TradFest ná an ceol traidisiúnta ar a fheabhas a cheiliúradh, a chothú agus a chur chun cinn, agus daoine a thabhairt le chéile tríd an gceol.

Belfast TradFest exists to bring those voices together, and to ensure they are heard. We invite you to come and experience it for yourself from the 26th July – 2nd August.

Full programme will be released on the 25th June. More info at http://www.belfasttradfest.com