Irish Music Magazine - May 2026 Issue
COVER STORY
LA FAMILLE LeBLANC
A Settled Tradition from New Brunswick. Seán Laffey talks to Robin LeBlanc, the patriarch and piano player with La Famille LeBlanc.
FEATURES
DOLORES KEANE 1953-2026
An appreciation of the late great Dolores Keane by Frank Greally.
MegaTRAD. IT BEGINS WITH A…
It was Saint Patrick’s weekend and the megaTRAD trio were on their way from Clare to a gig at the Jameson Distillery in Dublin, writes Seán Laffey.
A MORNING WAVE FROM CAS
CAS are: Sebastien Luthers (fiddle & whistles), Nico Contamine (piano & percussion), Carol Scott (flute & whistles), Peter Gallagher (guitar & bouzouki). Seán Laffey asks the questions.
THE McKENNA FAMILY AND THE BOYS OF CARRICKROE
Seán Laffey is in conversation with Eugene McKenna, who tells him about their new album The Boys of Carrickroe.
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPING FROM WEST OF EDEN
Seán Laffey talks to the band’s founders, Martin and Jenny Schaub, and discovers they can trace the band’s roots to a visit to Dublin in the 1990s.
KICK UP THE DUST WITH CIARAN RYAN
John O’Regan in conversation with Ciaran Ryan for Irish Music Magazine.
CELTIC ROCK IN HAWAII
The Kilt Lifters are part of a vibrant Celtic community in the islands, delivering high-energy arrangements of traditional tunes and original material to a loyal and growing audience, writes John O’Regan.
SIANSA GAEL LINN 2026 Final
Irish Traditional Music will be alive and well in the National Concert Hall, Dublin on April 12th.
ASSOCIATION OF IRISH AND CELTIC FESTIVALS
Alison Leroy of AICF in conversation with Robert Heuston for Irish Music Magazine.
EVA COYLE GENTLY TURNING HEADS WITH SOLO PIANO ALBUM
Mark Lysaght talks with Athlone-born musician and folk singer-songwriter Eva Coyle about her life in Music and her progression from vocal songwriting records to her new instrumental piano album.
FESTIVALS
A selection of wonderful Festivals and Summer Schools from Ireland and abroad.
FLEADH NUA CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF COMHALTAS
At The Fleadh Down in Ennis you’re always guaranteed a wonderful week of the best of our traditional arts, and 2026 promises to be something special again.
FOUR DECADES OF THE PEORIA IRISH FEST
With world renowned names in Irish music, regional and local artists, in an idyllic riverside venue, Peoria Irish Fest celebrates forty-five years, writes Anne Marie Kennedy.
BELFAST TRADFEST
Belfast TradFest will bring a vibrant celebration of traditional music, song, and dance back to Belfast from 26 July to 2 August 2026.
THE ISLE OF MAN’S YN CHRUINNAGHT CELTIC MUSIC & DANCE FESTIVAL
Gráinne McCool in conversation with the island’s Manx Music Development Officer, Chloe Woolley. Yn Chruinnaght Celtic Gathering returns this year from 27th July – 2nd August.
REMEMBERING MARTIN AND BRENDAN MULVIHILL
Glin, west Limerick, on the banks of the Shannon, celebrates two of its most musical sons, Brendan and Martin Mulvihill with a week-long festival of their music, October 27th to 31st, writes Anne Marie Kennedy.
BLAS INTERNATONAL SUMMER SCHOOL
June 22 to 3 July. Seán Laffey talks to Breandán de Gallaí, who is the lead dance tutor and the Co-Director of Blas International Summer School of Music and Dance, at the Irish World Academy.
THE 24th PENN-MAR IRISH FESTIVAL
The Penn-Mar Irish Festival is held on the third Saturday in June in York County, Pennsylvania. Gráinne McCool catches up with Festival Director, Mary Yeaple, to find out about this year’s festival.
REGULARS
BRINGING THE SESSION TO YOU: OAIM’s Monthly Livestream
Brought to you in association with the Online Academy of Irish Music (OAIM.ie).
THE JAMES MOTOR BIKE
We continue our series of stories, songs and poems titled Let the Memories Be, brought to you by the legend of Irish Music that is Johnny McEvoy.
STORY BEHIND THE SONG : THE OLD BOG ROAD
Seán Laffey writes, this is a song encapsulating the rural emigrant’s longing for home when faced with the modernity of the industrial city. It was written by a woman who knew that experience personally.
LIVE REVIEW
TRANSATLANTIC WOMEN AT TRADFEST DUBLIN
National Stadium Dublin 26th January 2026. Mark Lysaght reports for Irish Music Magazine.
CD REVIEWS
Another selection of CD Reviews from the International World of Folk and Traditional Music.
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