A new traditional music festival created especially for beginners and improvers of all ages will take place in Doolin from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th November 2026.
Trad For All will offer visitors and local people opportunities to learn, play, sing, dance and enjoy traditional music in a relaxed and supportive setting. Rather than focusing only on performance, the festival programme is designed to help more people take an active part in the tradition, including those picking up an instrument or trying an activity for the first time.
Across the weekend, 10 workshops will offer opportunities to learn and develop skills in music, singing and dance.
The workshop tutor line-up features Mary MacNamara, Therese McInerney, Kirsten Allstaff, Tara Connaghan, Mná, Tom Delany, Cillian Ó Dálaigh and more. The Bodhrán Buzz with Robbie Walsh will also introduce participants of all ages to the instrument.
The wider programme will include over 20 slow and open sessions, children’s and teenagers’ activities, listening sessions, concerts and a community céilí.
The Sunday afternoon céilí with Louise O’Connor will welcome dancers of every level. Concert events will include a teenagers-only performance by Alltacht and The Attic Sessions, an intimate acoustic concert featuring Mary MacNamara, Sorcha Costello and Geraldine Cotter.
“Trad For All is about creating more opportunities for people who are at an earlier stage of their journey with traditional music. We want complete beginners, returning players and improvers to have the chance to learn, play with others and experience the connection and community that traditional music can create,” said festival director Charles Monod.
The festival will close on Sunday night with the James Cullinan Tribute Concert. Diarmuid Ó Meachair will launch “Tír na Gréine” , a posthumous album of duets recorded with James Cullinan and will perform with Jack Talty and Tony Linnane, followed by Moher and friends.
Trad For All is supported by the Arts Council and Clare County Council, with further support from Hotel Doolin and Fiddle + Bow Hotel. Workshops, concerts and the community céilí will be ticketed, while the festival’s slow, open and listening sessions will be free to attend.
Full booking information will be announced shortly through on Instagram and Facebook.
