Music Festivals

A number of other festivals, celebrated in contemporary Ireland, are worthy of mention. Alongside the more traditional festivals such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, the idea of dancing and joy seeps further into our culture through large music festivals such as the Electric Picnic arts and music event held annually in Stradbally, Co. Laois; it may be commercially organised, rather than a folk festival, but it is an outlet for everything that festival has traditionally been: a place for communal singing, dancing, and joy.

Closer to folk tradition is Music Under the Mountains, a popular annual folk music event held in Hollywood, at the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains. One venue in particular, Tutty’s public house in Hollywood, has proven instrumental in the organisation of this community-based event since it began in 1991. As well as traditional music gigs, the festival includes a number of music workshops and singing sessions.

The inclusion of a number of bluegrass and old-time acts alongside Irish traditional musicians highlights the connections between Irish and Americana folk music, as well as the increasing popularity of Americana music in Ireland. Folk musicians from Brittany in France have also played at the festival.

World folk music has become increasingly influential at such events. The Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures, which ran from 2001-2010, brought musicians and artists from Ireland and all over the world to take part in a three-day weekend event. The festival was put on hiatus in 2011 but is expected to return in the near future.