Women’s music takes limelight at Tradfest
Fiddler Mairéad will curate a magical evening for festival
IF ever there was a woman who was the embodiment of our traditional music culture in Ireland, it is Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. The Altan frontwoman, known for embracing collaboration, is a central part of this year’s Tradfest Temple Bar, curating a very special night for women.
Imbolg, The Women Of Trad will feature Mairéad in a number of guises — T with the Maggies with her old friends Maire Brennan, Triona and Maighread Ni Domhnaill; and the Sí Fiddlers.
‘It’s correlating with the new bank holiday which is St Brigid’s Day — the first one to commemorate the frontline workers and the people who passed away during Covid,’ Mairead says. ‘And the night that’s in it for the festival, we see the female side of traditional and folk music.’
It’s a celebration of strong women, creative and cultural.
‘It’s a celebration of women, our music and our culture,’ says Mairéad. ‘St Brigid was a Celtic goddess who was a very strong woman and Imbolg, her feast day, traditionally marking the turning of the year in the Celtic calendar when light is being brought back into the world and that feeling of hope.’
MAIRÉAD has even coaxed her old pal Mary Chapin Carpenter over to headline the event which will take place on January 28 at the National Stadium in Dublin. ‘Initially I was asked to bring one of the bands I play in, the Sí Fiddlers , 13 young — well they are all younger than I am — Donegal fiddlers. We have come together for fun, this is a new thing so I was delighted to be bringing them to Tradfest as well. It was decided then that it would be a celebration of folk music too so I rang up my friend Mary Chapin Carpenter who I worked with for years and she was more than delighted to come across the Atlantic for the night. She loves Ireland and loves Irish music as well. She is such an amazing singerand songwriter and I thought she would be the ideal headliner along with my amazing friends.’
There’s more than just music to see too as the bill also includes sean nos dancer Edwina Guckian.
‘She is one of the best sean nos dancers in the country,’ Mairead says. ‘She does a lot of community work in Leitrim and is bringing back the traditions of the Mummers.’
‘ She is very much a young woman of great energy and vitality and strength. That is the kind of theme we want for this night. We have Caoimhe Hopkinson who plays lectric guitar and acoustic guitar and she has been playing rock and roll and jazz, we have Brídín who is a contemporary harpist and singer from Sligo.
‘It’s going to be a whole night celebrating the rising of the feminine in our society, really.’
It’s much needed and an important
part of the festival this year as the arts and music worlds are still a reflection of our wider society where women still aren’t on an equal footing to their male counterparts.
‘We are still looking for equality in pay and equality in every other aspect of life,’ says Mairéad. ‘It’s just to be fair and equal and to bring the balance forward. There is a problem with that in every aspect of society.
‘A lot of studies have shown that women performers have been discriminated against — at times not consciously — but it was found to be the case in every part of society, not just the artist’s side of life.’
This year’s Tradfest runs from January
25 to 29 and there is a huge line up of talent from Niamh Regan and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh to Kate Rusby, Dervish, Eddi Reader, Cara Dillion, Iarla Ó Lionard, and Saiocht featuring actor Stephen Rea, Louise and Michelle Mulcahy, Felispeaks and Neil Martin, in venues across the city. As well as the fantastic music on offer, audiences can also enjoy film screenings in the IFI, family fun in The Ark, an opportunity to trace family history at the Family History Centre and explore Epic, The Irish Emigration Museum.
AND it is an event that Mairead says is very important to showcase Ireland’s cultural life and home and beyond. ‘It is highlighting Dublin and the best of Irish culture at a very important time of year where after Christmas people have come out of the doldrums and are looking towards spring. Tradfest attracts people from all over the world so we want to showcase the best of our culture, through music, singers, dancers, spoken word and show off Ireland as well as we can. Our culture is a huge part of how we are recognised all over the world.’
And after the shows Mairead will be back in the heart of her Altan family for a tour and more.
‘Altan is my bread and butter -they are incredible people and they have been my family for years. We are going to France on Monday for a week and we head off to America straight after Tradfest and we are working hard on the next album as well.’
They say variety is the spice of life though, and Mairead enjoys being part of a number of musical outlets.
‘ It’s all very good for me because I am getting to play with a lot of different personalities and bands,’ she says. ‘I’m a professional musician so the more variety in my life, the more I enjoy it.’
For the tradfest line up and to buy tickets visit