The Goo 1
Words: Christian Wethered FOLK As autumn approach
es, the Irish folk music scene enters a new phase. September brings a quieter kind of energy: less festival sprawl, more curated evenings, album launches, and intimate returns. The month opens with the release of The End, Junior Brother’s third album, out Friday 5 September on Pete Doherty’s Strap Originals. Best known for his intense live shows and uncompromising sound, the Kerry songwriter delivers his most ambitious work yet. It’s a dense, layered record, shaped by traditional Irish instrumentation bent into strange and otherworldly forms. He launches the album with two intimate shows in The Grand Social on Sept 13 & 14. Now in its third year, Dooagh Folk Festival returns to Achill Island from 12 to 14 September with a packed weekend of concerts, sessions, workshops and community gatherings. Friday night features performances from Máirtín O’Connor, Cathal Hayden and Seámie Ó Dowd, Cork balladeer John Spillane, and local ensemble Feilican. Saturday brings sets from Stockton’s Wing, The Johnny Quinn Macs and Pauline Scanlon & The Half Room, while Sunday’s chill session at Lilli Bán Café offers a gentler close, with the Minaun Cliffs as backdrop. Elsewhere, the programme includes a piping recital with Brìghde Chaimbeul and Leonard Barry, a heritage talk led by Diarmuid Gielty, 40 and a showcase of young musicians including Aoife Fadian and Bríd McLoughlin. It’s a festival rooted in place, and continues to balance local tradition with international reach. Back in Dublin, Tradition Now returns to the National Concert Hall from 25 to 28 September. Presented with the Arts Council, the series once again brings traditional and contemporary voices into conversation. Highlights include concertina master Cormac Begley, Damien Dempsey performing with the National Symphony Orchestra, and a tribute to writer and cartographer Tim Robinson. On Saturday 27th, ‘Room to Rhyme’ takes over multiple NCH stages with music and poetry from Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Susan McKeown, MayKay, Steve Cooney, Éoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Andy Irvine and Áine Uí Cheallaigh, as well as readings from Moya Cannon, Brigid Mae Power and Dairena Ní Chinnéide. Curated by Theo Dorgan and produced with ITMA, the evening pays tribute to the 1968 tour of the same name by Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley and Davy Hammond. In Co. Wicklow, Music Under the Mountains returns to Hollywood from 19 to 21 September. The festival opens with an evening of poetry and music from Jane Clarke and violinist Cora-Venus Lunny. Saturday includes sessions, Irish and Swedish music workshops, and a concert from pan-European folk trio Ynis. Sunday ends with sets by Siobhán Peoples and Blackie O’Connell, followed by the Máirtín O’Connor Trio. From candlelit church performances to lively pub sessions, the weekend balances intimacy with range. Meanwhile, The Cobblestone continues to host two of Dublin’s most consistent folk sessions. On Sunday 7 September, The Night Before Larry Got Stretched returns - an open singing session with a focus on unaccompanied song and oral tradition. It’s become one of the most important folk gatherings in the city. On Wednesday 10 September, the Balaclavas Session takes a looser approach - a session and class aimed at adult learners and anyone who might not normally play in public, unless perhaps wearing a balaclava. Together, they reflect the enduring energy of grassroots folk in the capital.