Kilfenora

The Home of Traditional Ceili Music and The Gateway to the Burren

The Home of Traditional Céilí Music and The Gateway to the Burren

Events

Riches of Clare concert, Kilfenora Cathedral

By tradition, the first event of the Riches of Clare free concert season takes place at the Kilfenora Trad Fest – a rare opportunity to experience the interior and acoustics of historic Kilfenora Cathedral. (Dress warmly! Donations in the box for repairs to the Cathedral will be appreciated.) The one-hour performance is at 1pm on Saturday 26 April – the Cathedral is best entered from the lane besides Howley’s shop. As before, some of the finest musicians from or living in Clare are featured.

Siobhán Peoples combines the fiddle traditions of Clare – through her grandmother Kitty Linnane of Kilfenora Céilí Band fame – and Donegal, through her father the renowned Tommy Peoples, with whom she played publicly from an early age. Siobhán is the 2025 recipient of Ireland’s top traditional music award – the Gradam Ceoil – having received Clare’s highest musical honour (MÓRglór) in 2023. Co-organiser of the Ennis Trad Festival, she also teaches widely, most notably at the University of Limerick for over 20 years.

Murty Ryan began playing accordion at 9, influenced by Paddy O’Brien, Willie Fogarty and Joe Burke. Originally from Tipperary but long a mainstay of the music scene in Clare, he began playing with Siobhán in 1996 – they recorded the CD “Time On Our Hands” in 2002. He plays and teaches music in Ireland and internationally.

Siobhán Peoples & Murty Ryan

Flautist Brian O’Loughlin from a renowned Corofin music family is a winner of multiple awards in Fleadh Cheoil competitions – solo, duet and in Céilí bands. He has travelled across Europe performing and teaching. His recordings include 2 CDs with the All-Ireland winning Shandrum Ceili Band; in a trio with Tom Delany and Dessie Kelliher (“Well For Some”); and the O’Loughlin family CD “No Place Like Home” launched at the Kilfenora Festival in 2024.

Conal O’Kane from Philadelphia is a graduate of the Limerick University’s famous Music Performance programs – where now like Siobhán he is a tutor. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as a skilled guitar accompanist, including on other musicians’ CDs. He also has a busy touring and recording schedule with the band Goitse.

Brian O’Loughlin
Conal O’Kane

 

“The Sounds of Kilfenora” project launch

The village of Kilfenora has many distinctions. For example, having a cathedral makes it arguably the smallest city in the world (the City of the Crosses), with both Protestant and Catholic bishops (the latter being the Pope!).

However in the world of traditional Irish music, it is renowned for having its own ‘sound’, with many sets of tunes referred to as ‘Kilfenora tunes’. Contributory factors are

  • the rich musical tradition, from the 1800s in particular, developing through marching bands using fife and drums and, later, brass instruments;
  • the repertoire of the Kilfenora Céilí Band, formed in 1909, whose early recordings had significant influence, and which includes marches, two-steps, and quadrilles alongside the more familiar jigs and reels. Learn more by visiting the KCB Exhibition in the Burren Visitor Centre.

An important research project is now focusing on a third factor – the embodiment of the tradition in the many musicians and musical families that have lived in and around Kilfenora – and still do. Kilfenora was renowned for its lively house dances, where families and musicians gathered to play music, share stories, and celebrate together.

Launching at the Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival on Friday 25 April 2025 (7.30pm) in the Community Hall,  this exciting initiative will provide an immersive experience for locals and visitors alike, showcasing the wonderful stories, sounds, and images of the community’s musical past.

The launch will include an exhibition of photographs of local musicians and house dances, accompanied by descriptive labels and QR codes that provide access to audio recordings. Kilfenora Hall will come alive with performances by local musicians and those with deep connections to the area, creating a magical atmosphere that bridges past and present.

Kilfenora house-dance, 1955
Nora Marshall, KCB member from 1930s on

The work is being undertaken by Aoife Kelly, herself a musician, who has also curated a website dedicated to her grandfather John Kelly, an important figure in the development of traditional music.

This project also involves creating a comprehensive online archive of music, photographs, and oral histories. It will feature digitized recordings, transcriptions of tunes, and an innovative interactive map that links musicians to their homes and stories, allowing users to explore Kilfenora’s musical landscape with a simple click. This will be available via a website publicly in due course, helping to carry this musical tradition forward to benefit future generations.

Aoife would appreciate if any family that has material (eg photos and recordings) that could contribute to the research to get in touch as soon as possible at [email protected]

The project is supported by the Irish Traditional Music Archive, Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival and many local families and musicians, and has received funding from the Arts Council.

Do not miss this great opportunity to immerse yourself in a truly unique musical culture!

Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2025

The Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2025 will take place as usual on the last weekend of April (Friday 25-Monday 28th).

Start tuning your ears and polishing the dancing shoes for another great mix of céilís, concerts, sessions, CD launches and workshops.

Our main concert act this year (Saturday 26 April 2025, 8pm, Community Hall) is the stunning Máirtín O’Connor band, renowned for their blistering virtuoso performances around the world – and now in North Clare! Máirtín is arguably Ireland’s top accordionist, and the band also features the fantastic fiddle and banjo of Cathal Hayden, the songs and accompaniment of multi-instrumentalist Seamie O’Dowd, and the percussion brilliance of the mighty Jim Higgins. Support is provided by 2024 Meitheal Summer School prize-winner Aoife Ní Chonghaile, who is also U18 Fleadh winner 2024 on the harp. Tickets (€20 plus small booking fee) are available online now – click here – and collected at the door from 7.30 pm (bring ID). Alternatively tickets can be purchased at the Burren Visitor Centre, Kilfenora and in Custy’s Music, Ennis.

Máirtín O’Connor band
Kilfenora house-dance, 1955

On Friday night in the Hall there will be a very special event – a launch of The “Sounds of Kilfenora” project, with an exhibition and musical performances. This will celebrate the vibrant musical heritage of Kilfenora and the surrounding area, bringing its rich history of traditional music to life, featuring the music, stories, and vibrant spirit that have defined this hugely important music village for generations. The outcome of the project will include an online archive of music, photographs, and oral histories. Read more here.

Friday night is also when the Festival has it’s Singers Night – head to Vaughans Bar for that.

And on Sunday afternoon, by tradition we will stage the open-air céilí in the Square with the great Kilfenora Céilí Band, preceded by groups of young Clare musicians – altogether one of the finest events in the Irish traditional music calendar. Dancers can warm up the night before in Vaughan’s Barn with the Star of Munster Céilí Band.

Céilí in the Square

The Riches of Clare free concert in Kilfenora Cathedral on Saturday at 1pm has an all-star cast headed by Siobhán Peoples, this year’s winner of Ireland’s top traditional music award. Read all about this event here. Before that (11.45 am), catch Anne Rynne and AnneMarie McCormack in recital with Anne Larkin in the Kilfenora Céilí Band museum located in the Burren Visitor Centre.

CD launches this year feature the renowned Clare fiddler Tara Breen and Tipperary’s Ailbie Grace & Liam Flanagan. There are also workshops for beginners and teens on Saturday and Sunday.

So come on down and join the fun.

National Heritage Week in Kilfenora 2024

During National Heritage Week (17-25 August 2024), communities across Ireland are invited to create events to celebrate and educate about their local heritage. This depends on voluntary efforts, as the only support provided is space on the National Heritage Week website. As in 2022 and 2023, Kilfenora Development community group members have arranged a varied and high-quality set of events, nearly all free of charge, for both the local community and visitors in North Clare to participate in. Full details of all events can be found on the National Heritage Week website.

On Monday 19 August there are two free workshops (10-11.30 & 12-13.30) at St Fachnan’s Cathedral that will be used to create a record of its historic graveyard, led by local archaeologist Edel Barry and Elaine Lynch, Field Monument Advisor for Co. Clare. Limited spaces are available, and participants must register with BurrenBeo (email [email protected]). You can also use this link to book. This project is organised with the permission of the Church of Ireland (Drumcliffe Union of Churches) and co-funded by the Heritage Council under the Community Grant Scheme 2024, in collaboration with the BurrenBeo Trust.

On Thursday 22 August (8pm in Kilfenora Hall; €5 or €3 concessions), Dick Cronin (former Clare Council Conservation Officer) will discuss the fantastic story of Maire Rua O’Brien – a remarkable figure in Irish history – with a particular focus on the various castles she was associated with (including Dysert, Dromoland, Leamaneh and Ballynagowan at Smithstown). Dick’s research has also been funded by the Heritage Council Community Grant Scheme 2024.

Kilfenora Cathedral graveyard

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Maire Rua and Smithstown Castle

 

The remaining events are free and at the Burren Visitor Centre.

Liam Irwin, recently Head of History at Limerick University, will talk on Saturday 24 August (14.00) about the remarkable achievements of Thomas Westropp (1860-1922), the primary source of archaeological information on counties Clare and Limerick – especially the Burren.

On Sunday 25 August (14.00), the leading North Clare walking guide Tony Kirby will talk about the Burren’s holy wells – including the well in Kilfenora – sharing the results of his extensive research and providing new insights into their history, geography, folklore and hydrogeology.

Westropp and Ballykinvarga Fort
Tony Kirby & St Fachnan’s Well

 

Also on Saturday 24 August (15.00), multiple award-winning musician Aisling Lyons will take us on a journey through the history of the harp – the 2000-year old instrument that is Ireland’s heraldic symbol – demonstrating its versatility through her own playing.

And from 17-12 August (11-12.00 daily), the Burren Visitor Centre is offering its Kilfenora walking tour for free (normally €10). Take a fascinating journey though the life and history of the smallest cathedral city anywhere – a farming community from Neolithic times, its Ecclesiastical development from AD 560 to now, its survival through times of conflict and famine to its revitalisation through trade, education and music. The tour includes entry to newly re-furbished exhibitions on the Burren and music in North Clare.

Aisling Lyons
Kilfenora 80 years ago

Kilfenora Trad Festival 2024

The Kilfenora Traditional Music Festival 2024 will run from Friday 26 to Monday 29 April.

This will be the 15th festival in a series that began in 2009 with the centenary of the Kilfenora Céilí Band. The festival is noted for great concerts and céilís, plus cracking CD launches and pub sessions. It is intended to adopt a similar format to previous years with events and sessions on the Friday and Monday as well.

Our main concert on Saturday night will feature the much-praised duo of Tommy Fitzharris and Dónal McCague, joined by the wonderful singing of Nell Ni Chroinin (from the band Danu) and the in-demand and masterful guitar playing of Colm O’Caoimh (of the band Caladh Nua). And as always we will feature a talented prize-winner from the Meitheal Summer School – this year it is Hannah Lyons, a harpist from Mayo. Tickets are available online here, from The Burren Visitor Centre in Kilfenora or Custy’s Records in Ennis.

On Friday night we will stage another dance spectacular, following the success of last years’ event. We are inviting back the Avalon Celtic Dance Company (for their 20th anniversary) together with talented young dancers and musicians from North Clare. For more information click here.

CD launches this year are by Seán Lyons, The O’Loughlin Family and David Sanders – all from Co Clare. For more information click here.

Other events being planned include a céilí with the Star of Munster Céilí Band on Saturday night,  followed by Ollie Mullooley’s Trad Disco, and a fantastic line-up for the Riches of Clare concert in Kilfenora Cathedral. For more information click here.

Of course the highlight on Sunday will be the open-air céilí in the Square with the great Kilfenora Céilí Band, preceded by performances by young local musicians.

And for those wanting to learn we have dance workshops from Monday 22 to Friday 26 April (mornings – but not Wednesday) and instrumental sessions for young musicians and learners on Saturday and Sunday. Click here for more information.

Keep up to date with festival information and more with our Facebook page,

Tommy Fitzharris & Dónal McCague
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"Kilfenora, city of the crosses, home of céilí music"
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"Kilfenora, city of the crosses, home of céilí music"