Portlaoise Tradfest is set to return this weekend, with a packed programme of traditional Irish music and cultural events taking place across the town from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3.
The festival will feature a mix of concerts, workshops, live sessions and late-night entertainment, with activities spread across multiple venues.
The festival officially gets underway on Friday evening with a headline concert at the Dunamaise Arts Centre.
The opening night, Friday, will feature a performance by renowned traditional Irish band Altan, marking a major highlight of the weekend’s musical line-up.
Saturday will see a range of activities taking place throughout the day, beginning with music workshops hosted at Dunamase College.
Running from 11am to 1pm, these workshops are aimed at musicians of varying experience levels and will focus on developing traditional playing skills.
Live music continues into Saturday night, with a concert by Clada scheduled for 9pm in Kavanagh’s.
The evening’s entertainment will then continue into the early hours with a festival club event, featuring DJ Ollie Mullooly performing in The Mixer from 12.30am.
Across the weekend, a session trail will also take place in venues throughout Portlaoise, with traditional music sessions bringing performers and audiences together in an informal setting.
These sessions form a core part of the festival, creating a lively atmosphere across the town.
Sunday’s programme includes the return of the Youth Trad Battle, which will take place at midday.
The event provides a platform for young musicians to showcase their talents, with participants from across the region expected to take part.
The festival concludes on Sunday evening with a headline performance by George Murphy and The Rising Sons in Kavanagh’s, starting at 9pm.
The final night will also feature late-night entertainment, with DJ Jim Bán closing out the weekend at the festival club.
In addition to the scheduled concerts and workshops, the festival will include a variety of informal events and gatherings, with traditional music expected to be heard throughout the town across the three days.
The event aims to bring together musicians, visitors and the local community in celebration of Irish music and culture.
Portlaoise Tradfest has become a regular feature of the May bank holiday weekend in the town, contributing to its growing reputation as a hub for arts and cultural events in the Midlands.
Ruaidhri Tierney and Bill O’Brien, both natives of Portlaoise, joined us for a chat about what will be the fourth edition on the LoveLaois Podcast earlier this month.
You can get the full details of the festival here and you can listen back to that episode below:
SEE ALSO – Laois solicitor takes in more than €500,000 on Legal Aid system as 2025 figures revealed
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.laoistoday.ie ’
