Pictures: A decade on, Kilkenny Tradfest is here to stay

Kilkenny City was once again jumping to jigs, reels and hornpipes over the St Patrick’s bank holiday weekend as Kilkenny Tradfest celebrated its tenth anniversary.

A stellar line-up of national acts, including Stockton’s Wing, Scullion and the Bonnymen wowed the music fans at the paid concerts while over one hundred free sessions throughout the city saw some of Kilkenny and the country’s finest traditional musicians draw huge crowds to the city’s pubs.

Chairperson of the Tradfest committee, local publican Brendan Treacy, said that the reaction from customers and visitors alike was tremendous.

“For many years, the period around St Patrick’s Day was little more than a one-day mid-winter break. Our decision as vintners to get involved in this festival a decade ago has transformed itself into a hugely successful part of the festival calendar in Kilkenny,” he said.

“We have built a huge reputation in our city for having some of the best pubs and hotels in Ireland, offering great food and music but it is hugely satisfying to have a weekend in which the music takes centre-stage. We are now seeing this festival following the success of the Roots festival, which our members were also involved in establishing.”

Chairperson of Kilkenny City Vintners Anthony Morrisson said the community atmosphere of the festival has been key to its success.

“We are now seeing the same groups of musicians returning to Tradfest, year after year. It is in many ways becoming like a mini Fleadh Cheoil,” he said.

“Musicians are booking their accommodation for the next festival and spend the weekend sitting in on each other’s sessions when they are not playing themselves.

Festival manager Marian Flannery said that the sponsorship of Bulmers Ireland, almost from the very start of the festival, has played a major role.

“Securing a headline sponsor is key to any festival’s success. The fact that a major national andf international brand is happy to continue to support our realtively young festival is a great vote of confidence,” said Ms Flannery.

“That, along with our commitment to refuse to compromise on top quality acts means that locals and visitors alike have confidence that they will have a brilliant few days in Kilkenny. Showcasing upcoming talent like Tulua, Emma Langford, the Bonnymen and Lisa Lambe is really important to us and we look forward to them returning for many years to come.

“The cooperation of almost every publican in Kilkenny is key to the success of the music trail, while we are incredibly lucky to have larger venues like Cleere’s Theatre, the Watergate and the Set Theatres, along with the return of Hotel Kilkenny and St John’s Priory. We will now start planning for next year and hope to bring more exciting acts, new and established to the city in 2024.”