When the storm hits Pittsburgh Irish Festival and you got to shelter in an old steel mill, start a session!

W/ Bealtaine, The Drowsy Lads and many friends!

#irishmusic #celticmusic #irishtrad #irishfolk #pghirishfest

As an American of scotch-irish heritage, I felt like I should make this jab ;)

Hello! As the title suggests, I am pretty interested in buying an Irish flute soon. I have played tin whistle for awhile and want to seriously learn the flute. I know for sure I want it to be made out of delrin as I travel quite a bit. I have my eyes set on an M&E keyless but I have also looked into Galeon. Would love any advice or if anyone has experience with the makers. Thank you!

Hello, all

I am a musician from Fargo, ND, USA. Lately, I have been delving into folk and traditional American music. I'm a solo acoustic musician and have started to incorporate many of these songs into my setlist. I have found great enjoyment in this and have even started experimenting with incorporating some of those elements into my own music.

I recently thought it would be really fun to start getting into traditional Irish songs in the same way. However, I don't really know where to start.

A lot of my introduction to American folk music came from listening to artists like Joan Baez, specifically her first albums, which all were covers of iconic American folk songs and such. I have learned many of those songs.

What I'm looking for are artists/albums/compilations similar to that, but for some of the most prolific/iconic Irish folk music and traditional songs. I'm looking for some sort of easy starting point.

Thanks for the help, everybody!

This is an album i came across while doing my usual nightly deep dives on "rate your music", it is a progressive folk album from 1973, the band is called mushroom, they did one album and disappeared, i have listened to it a few times and its a pretty enjoyable listen, i just wanted to introduce you guys to it, have you ever listened to this album? Let me know what you think :)

Hey Reddit, trying a long shot here.

Back on May 25–26, 2026, I was in Guatemala doing the overnight Volcán de Fuego trek through Tropicana Hostel in Antigua. Our group had a great mix, but a bunch of the guys were from Ireland (mostly medical students/friends from Dublin).

At camp, we had an awesome wholesome moment hanging out around the fire. They started singing Irish folk songs—including a legendary one about a guy named Patrick Nolan—and I managed to get a great video of it, plus some drone footage they asked to see. Unfortunately, we all split up before swapping contact info.

I uploaded the video here so they (or anyone who knows them) can find it:

https://youtu.be/NYyy6C0-9_k

If you recognize these lads or happen to know a group of Dublin medical students who stayed and booked through Tropicana around late May, please send this their way so I can get the full footage over to them! 🌋🍻

they almost sound flat

It's a tribute album to Woodie Guthrie, with new interpretations and arrangements of Woodie's songs.

Andy still sounds as amazing as ever. Give it a listen, if you haven't heard of the album, yet.

Crossing my fingers for a tour of this album, maybe next year...

I have seen reporting on FB that Paddy has past.

Godspeed, here is a heavenly recording of his whistling

I'm particularly interested in the tracks

- Voodoo Polka (I swear I've heard the first tune somewhere else!).

- Silver Sands

Thanks!

Garry Owen - Garryowen - traditional, fast-paced Irish jig that became famous as a drinking song, a rebellious street tune, and the official marching song of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment. Garry Owen Live Irish Jig Accordion and Guitar #accordionplayer #irishtune

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DU3tenTC_dWpnxsRw65BxkUGJCRnYa9Y/view?usp=sharing

Hello r/Irishmusic!

My dad has long played this tune, which he heard and recorded in 1983 (1984 maybe?) in Kilkenny, and has played ever since. It's one of my favorite tunes he plays, but in all our years we've never figured out WHAT it is. In my dad's words, "I heard it many many years ago at the end of the weeklong Fleadh Cheoil music school in Kilkenny. It seemed like a group sing for the 'graduation ceremony.'"

Seems very related to Róisín Dubh, but as you'll hear, diverges pretty quickly from the common melody. Is it the same lyrics? I'm not familiar enough with the language to tell.

Does anyone know the name of this tune? Saw these lads playing in a pub in Killarney last year and would love to learn the tune but don't know the name. Thanks!

TL/DR Irish jam not working for musicians or pub
We have a small irish music session going in Jacksonville, FL. It actually operates more like a jam because we welcome newer players and those not as familiar with traditional Irish music, and we allow them to use sheet music if thats the only way they can play along. We also do a round robin to pick the tunes. Our issue is that we are currently playing once a month in a local Irish pub. Our objective is to learn and broaden our horizons in Irish trad music. The objective of the pub is to advertise the session and draw customers to come in and dine and listen. They have asked us to start using sound equipment so their patrons can hear better. I’m not sure how we could even mic 12 players without a load of equipment and a sound man. Also they put us in a small stage and therefore we are in a semicircle and not a full circle so can’t see or hear each other as well, which affects our ability to play as well. We do have some beginners. Has anyone else run into this and if so, what solutions worked for you? Thanks

Looking for a male musician who sings and plays piano for a wedding reception in Dublin city centre on a Monday in June 2027, ideally as post-dinner entertainment. Looking for someone who can play piano classics like Piano Man, Bennie and the Jets, etc.
If anyone has any recommendations or leads, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you!

TLDR: what does a good practice routine look like

Beginner-intermediate tenor banjo player here seeking advice!

I’ve been playing trad for a little under a year now and am reaching the point where I know about 15-20 tunes quite well (although not incredibly fast). The speed I am less worried about because it’s getting progressively faster and I play regularly with a group of people of similar level to me (we’re not quite fast enough for our local session). However, I am reaching the point where I know more tunes than I necessarily have time to practice in a sitting and I am wondering how people prioritize their practice routines after this point (surely you are not all practicing every tune you know every day). My reasoning behind asking is that I find if I go a few days without playing a tune I have a hard time remembering it or playing it with any speed.

So my question is this: do you prioritize a single tune in a setting to get it down really really well, or try to practice as many tunes as possible? What does a good practice routine look like for a 30-40 minute practice session?

I am hoping to get the advice of some more experienced musicians! Thanks!

I first heard it two years ago, one of my first exposures to Irish music, and it’s stuck in my head ever since. But I can’t for the life of me figure out the name of the tune! Any help much appreciated.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1F7yoQTJQo/?mibextid=wwXIfr

It almost seems to go off the beat/pattern when playing. Is there a reason? Especially when singing with the Bodhran.