The Goo 1
Words: Christian Wethered FOLK October shifts the
folk calendar indoors. Festivals turn to theatres and clubs, the big summer stages give way to smaller rooms, and reflection replaces spectacle. Across Ireland, the month brings anniversaries, new projects, and fresh voices. The month opens in Cork with the 46th Cork Folk Festival (2–5 October). A cornerstone of the Irish calendar, the festival weaves together céilís, walking tours, workshops, and headline concerts across the city. FLOOK return to Triskel Arts Centre on the Thursday, joined by Seán Lyons and Eva Carroll. Friday brings Matt Molloy and John Carty, while Saturday marks Jackie @ 80, a celebration of Jackie Daly alongside Matt Cranitch, Paul de Grae, and younger players Éimhear and Caoimhe Flannery. It’s a festival that continues to balance local tradition with international reach, and this year’s line-up affirms why Cork has long been a hub for Irish folk. A week later, the limestone landscapes of north Clare provide the backdrop for Common Threads (10–12 October). Now in its third year, the festival sets audiences travelling by bus to intimate performance spaces – castles, caves, art colleges – where boundary-pushing musicians explore the evolving language of Irish tradition. Martin Hayes, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, RÓIS, Morgana, Lullahush and Daithí all feature, alongside Niamh Regan at the Burren College of Art. Beyond the music, the festival 40 embraces food, craft and wellness, with wood-fired saunas, local seafood trucks, and artisan coffee stalls. Curators describe the festival as a “voyage of discovery” that traces the threads between music, community and landscape. With several events already sold out, Common Threads is fast becoming one of the most distinctive fixtures on the Irish folk calendar. Later in the month, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin brings her debut solo show Studies on the Cailleach to DeBarra’s Folk Club in Clonakilty (28 October). A sean-nós singer, musician and storyteller, Ní Ghlacáin reimagines the myth of the Cailleach – the hag of winter – through song and ritual, inviting audiences into an hour of reflection and transformation. It’s a performance that draws on her folkloric expertise as well as her musical roots, and its late-October date feels fitting: as the season turns, we are asked to listen more deeply to what lies beneath. The month closes with Púca Festival (30 October–2 November), celebrating Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween. Rooted in Meath’s ancient landscape, the festival brings Samhain’s origins to life through fire, folklore and music. The Púca Procession winds through the streets of Trim with shapeshifting spirits and spectacle, while Athboy hosts the ceremonial lighting of the Samhain Fire. Alongside heritage tours, storytelling, and foraging workshops, the line-up includes The High Kings, The 2 Johnnies, Blindboy, and a staging of Moonlight: The Philip Lynott Enigma. Equal parts mischief and remembrance, Púca bridges the ancient and the contemporary, reminding us that the veil between worlds grows thin at this time of year. October also sees a few significant releases. The Fynches release their self-titled debut on the 7th and play the Workmans on Nov 15th. Dundalk outfit Just Mustard release We Were Just Here on 24 October. Daniel O’Donnell will release a new album, entitled Now and Then. O’Donnell has now released nearly 60 albums in the four decades since his debut release. From Cork to Clare, Meath to West Cork, October offers a folk map lit by story and song — one that leans toward winter, but still burns brightly.