The Tradition Now series' newest line-up features Ye Vagabonds, Cormac Begley, and more

With the Tradition Now series returning in autumn, the National Concert Hall and Arts Council has revealed the month of October's line-up.

A celebration of traditional music's roots and evolution, Tradition Now is meant to highlight trad and folk acts. The performances will be Saturday, October 7th, and Sunday, October 8th. Each show starts at 7:30 PM.

The Dublin-based folk-duo Ye Vagabonds, made up of Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn, will be headlining the show on Saturday, October 7th. The news comes after their Nine Waves won Best Album at the RTÉ Radio One Folk Awards.

Among the artists joining them on stage for the first night of Tradition Now's October edition is the recent recipient of the Liam O'Flynn award, the Limerick rapper renowned for his poetic skills and stunning debut album Holy / Unholy, Strange Boy. It will be his first time performing at the National Concert Hall since receiving the award.

Strange Boy

Also performing on Saturday is the talented singer and flautist from Fermanagh, Cathal McConnell, who will not only showcase his "variations" on beloved traditional tracks but also discuss music and his life. He'll be joined by Nuala Kennedy, another insanely talented songstress and flautist, Tara Breen, a brilliant fiddle player hailing from Clare, and Tony Byrne, a guitarist and one of Dublin's very own.

Headlining the Sunday, October 8th show will be the Best Folk Instrumentalist winner for RTÉ's 2022 Folk Awards and the renowned concertina player Cormac Begley. The performance will be his first concert ever at the National Concert Hall.

He'll be joined by Doireann Ní Ghlacáin, an academic, broadcaster, sean nós singer and fiddle player, who will use the platform to present Say a Song to the world. A multimedia project combining music, literature, and technology, it is meant to reinvigorate the sean nós tradition.

Also playing Sunday night will be Damien O'Kane, an Irish tenor banjo player, Ron Block, an American bluegrass banjo player, and the Scottish smallpipes player Brìghde Caimbeul, who's return to the National Concert Hall is eagerly expected, especially after her recent sophomore album Carry Them With Us just dropped.

Tickets are on sale now.

Find tickets for Trad Now, starting at €25, here: