{"id":2397212,"date":"2026-05-01T05:01:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2397212"},"modified":"2026-05-01T05:01:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T05:01:06","slug":"portlaoise-tradfest-set-to-bring-weekend-of-music-workshops-and-events-to-the-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/portlaoise-tradfest-set-to-bring-weekend-of-music-workshops-and-events-to-the-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Portlaoise Tradfest set to bring weekend of music, workshops and events to the town"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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.\n<\/p>\n

The festival will feature a mix of concerts, workshops, live sessions and late-night entertainment, with activities spread across multiple venues.\n<\/p>\n

The festival officially gets underway on Friday evening with a headline concert at the Dunamaise Arts Centre.\n<\/p>\n

The opening night, Friday, will feature a performance by renowned traditional Irish band Altan, marking a major highlight of the weekend\u2019s musical line-up.<\/p>\n

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Saturday will see a range of activities taking place throughout the day, beginning with music workshops hosted at Dunamase College.\n<\/p>\n

Running from 11am to 1pm, these workshops are aimed at musicians of varying experience levels and will focus on developing traditional playing skills.<\/p>\n

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Live music continues into Saturday night, with a concert by Clada scheduled for 9pm in Kavanagh\u2019s.\n<\/p>\n

The evening\u2019s entertainment will then continue into the early hours with a festival club event, featuring DJ Ollie Mullooly performing in The Mixer from 12.30am.<\/p>\n

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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.\n<\/p>\n

These sessions form a core part of the festival, creating a lively atmosphere across the town.\n<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s programme includes the return of the Youth Trad Battle, which will take place at midday.\n<\/p>\n

The event provides a platform for young musicians to showcase their talents, with participants from across the region expected to take part.\n<\/p>\n

The festival concludes on Sunday evening with a headline performance by George Murphy and The Rising Sons in Kavanagh\u2019s, starting at 9pm.\n<\/p>\n

The final night will also feature late-night entertainment, with DJ Jim B\u00e1n closing out the weekend at the festival club.\n<\/p>\n

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.\n<\/p>\n

The event aims to bring together musicians, visitors and the local community in celebration of Irish music and culture.\n<\/p>\n

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.\n<\/p>\n

Ruaidhri Tierney and Bill O\u2019Brien, both natives of Portlaoise, joined us for a chat about what will be the fourth edition on the LoveLaois Podcast earlier this month.\u00a0<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

You can\u00a0get the full details of the festival here <\/a>\u00a0and you can listen back to that episode below:\n<\/p>\n