a woman with an accordion Howth
Sharon Shannon will once again perform at the annual Binn Eadair Festival in Howth. Photo courtesy of Binn Eadair Festival.

Howth Puts On Traditional Music Festival for Third Year

The village of Howth will play host once again to the popular Féile Binn Éadair festival, a rebrand of what was once known as the Howth Trad and Folk Festival.

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a poster featuring a festival lineup Howth
Image courtesy of Binn Éadair Festival.

The Howth festival will take place from May 23-25 across seven venues around the picturesque fishing village, which is known to locals as the Seafood Capital of Fingal.

The village is only 25 minutes from the center of Dublin via the DART.

Howth is among several seaside villages along the Dublin coast.

This year’s vibrant festival promises to be an unforgettable experience for music enthusiasts of all ages with its mix of free and ticketed shows.

Performances will range from pure trad and folk to modern takes on Irish music.

With almost 30 free gigs to choose from and sessions across five unique venues around the village, in addition to ticketed headline shows at the historic Abbey Tavern and Summit Inn, this year’s gig promises to be an unforgettable experience for visitors and locals alike.

a woman holding a fiddle Howth
Sweet Jane is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Dublin. She is one of the free acts performing at the Binn Éadair festival in Howth. Photo: Roger Kenny Photography.

Free shows include Lynn Thizzy, DJ Tradfest, Sweet Jayne, Keep Er Lit, The Deadlians, Sin A Deir Sí, Dabilla, The Outcast Crew, Billy Treacy & The Scope, The Jailbreak Irish Rock Show, The Macks, Solar Grove, Burnchurch, Gatehouse, Spoonfed, the Yum Yum String Band, Mursheen Durkin, The Beermats, Paddy from Cadi, The Dublin Rovers, The Dead Irish, Colm Óg, Whiskey Still, Sabbages, the Howth Chamber Orchestra, and Trad Session Trail.

What to Expect from the Headline Shows

Headliners this year include Altan, Sharon Shannon, Pogueology, Lemoncello, a double bill of Eoghan ÓCeannabháin with Saltaire, as well as an-all ages céilí with The Brian Ború Céilí Band.

Sharon Shannon

After her sell-out show at last year’s festival, Shannon is returning this time with piano virtuoso Alan Connor.

Accordionist Sharon Shannon will perform once again at the Binn Eadair festival in Howth. Photo courtesy of Féile Binn Éadair.

Shannon is renowned for her mastery of the accordion and her electrifying performances that blend traditional Irish music with influences from around the world.

Altan

This year’s Howth festival proudly welcomes Altan as one of the headlining acts, who mark 40 years as one of Ireland’s most iconic traditional bands.

The members of Altan, the popular Irish trad group who will be one of the headline acts at the annual Howth festival. Photo courtesy of Binn Eadair Festival.

Since their formation by lead vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and her late husband Frankie Kennedy, no other traditional Irish band in the past three decades has had such a far-reaching impact, with over one million records sold.

Pogueology/The Dead Irish/Sabbages

The 9-piece band Pogueology in addition to two great new punk trad bands, The Dead Irish and Sabbages, will make up a mini trad punk festival that promises to be something special.

The late Shane McGowan of The Pogues holding a poster of The Pogueology band that will pay tribute to him during the upcoming  Binn Éadair festival in Howth. Photo courtesy of Binn Éadair.

Expect a moving tribute to the late Shane MacGowan and the Pogues.

Lemoncello

Laura Quirke and Claire Kinsella of Lemoncello, who will perform as a headline act at the Binn Éadair Festival in Howth. Photo courtesy of Binn Eadair.

A vital voice in the thriving alternative folk scene in Ireland, Lemoncello has in the past been nominated for Best Folk Song and Best Emerging Folk Act at the RTE Radio 1 Folk Awards.

Take a Dublin Mountain Pub Tour (small group Pub Crawl max 15 people)

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin & Saltaire

This double bill is sure to be captivating.

The singer Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin will perform with Saltaire at the Howth festival. Photo: Binn Eadair Festival.

Winner of best singer and song at the RTE Folk Awards in 2024, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin was actually a highlight at last year’s Binn Éadair Festival.

The group Saltaire who will perform at the Binn Éadair festival. Photo courtesy of Binn Eadair.

Saltaire, who perform as Ó Ceannabháin’s backing band while also being members of De Danann, have a great reputation in their own right and feature the mesmerizing singer/cellist Kaitlin Cullen-Verhaus.

All Ages Céilí with The Brian Ború Céilí Band

With an admission price of €5 at the door, this is a must-do event for families. There will be a caller there to show people the steps and make it a fun afternoon for everyone.

Tickets for the headline acts can be purchased on tickets.ie.

For more information and updates, visit the festival website or follow the festival on Instagram and Facebook.

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