TRAD to be released in cinemas on May 8

The new Irish film TRAD will be released in cinemas across the country on May 8. It originally premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh, where it won the Audience Award

TRAD is directed by Lance Daly and stars Megan Nic Fhionnghaile and Cathal Coade Palmer, alongside an acclaimed supporting cast including Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones, Kin), Sarah Greene (Bad Sisters, Black ’47), Peter Coonan (King Frankie, Doineann) and Ann Skelly (House of Guinness, Four Letters of Love).

It follows Shóna McAnally—a fiercely independent, defiant and gifted young fiddle player— who, along with her younger brother Mickey, leaves home to join a troupe of wandering musicians. leading a journey across Ireland.

Rooted in traditional Irish tunes, the film’s music was overviewed by Megan Nic Fhionnghaile in close collaboration with Declan Quinn and Eugene Quinn, alongside musicians including Damien Mullane, Conor Lyons, Conor Broderick, Colm Delaney, Eamonn Galdubh and Laoise Kelly.

Commenting on the film, director Lance Daly said: “I wanted to make a movie about young people playing Irish music, and to capture and celebrate the magic of something that's such a cornerstone of Irish culture but that I’d never really seen on the big screen - ‘the session.’

“I thought it could make a great climax, where it’s like the big action finale where you've come to know all the characters' stories and you understand what’s at stake and what scores have to be settled, but instead of punches or shooting at each other, everyone's just playing music together. And what a session we had!”