Ennis Trad Festival announced for 5‑day programme 5‑9 November

The Ennis Trad Festival returns for its 32nd edition, running from 5 to 9 November.

The five‑day event will feature flagship concerts and a range of activities including sessions, album launches, masterclasses, a trad quiz and a céilí.

Friday 6 November sees the four‑piece band Peter Street perform a marquee concert at the Queens Hotel, while Saturday 7 November the Scottish group Cala will bring their post‑traditional sound to the same venue.

Sunday night’s concert at the Old Ground Hotel will be headlined by Buttons & Bows – Seamus and Manus McGuire, Jackie Daly and Garry Ó Briain – with a newly‑formed trio of Aisling Lyons, Muireann Ní Shé and Becky Ní Éallaithe performing sean‑nós song, traditional music and dance.

The festival closes on Monday 9 November with a double‑bill at the Queens Hotel featuring the Máirtín O’Connor Band and the Karan Casey Trio, with Casey delivering her well‑known ballads and social‑justice songs.

In partnership with Clare Arts Office, the festival will host a special programme of European traditional musicians as part of Ireland’s 2026 Presidency of the Council of the European Union, including free concerts at glór and school visits.

Festival chairperson David Stone said the line‑up mixes “legends of traditional Irish music” with “a brilliant new generation of musicians and performers”.

Source: Clare Champion. Photo: Iban Lopez Luna / Pexels.