Iúr Cinn Fleadh

02/06/2026

Iúr Cinn Fleadh's web writer took a break to see Mary Coughlan at Blues On The Bay...

Jazz is a mystical realm. It was something my mam and dad enjoyed at the club. They danced to a jazz trio. I didn’t get it. Now I do get it, partly because I’ve seen Mary Coughlan. Mary was a headline act at this years sun-soaked International Guinness Blues On The Bay festival in Warrenpoint. V...

29/05/2026

Welsh trad band Calan have hung up their clogs for good now, sadly. But their farewell album 'Nefydd' is a work of wonder, with jigs, reels and airs that will make you want to dance, reflect and dance again. Calan have been a musical force for nearly 20 years, with the mission of re-establishing trad in their native language, Breatnais.

Welsh power station closes with a flourish of inspired neo-trad on Nefydd by Calan.

27/05/2026

Rostrevor singer-songwriter Matt Benson supported award-winning band Kila at last year's Iúr Cinn Fleadh - and delighted his own crowd at this year's Blues On The Bay. Here's our report of the gig...

www.iurcinnfleadh.com/matt-benson-thrills-a-home-crowd/

26/05/2026

Iúr Cinn Fleadh was among the visitors at Blues On The Bay - where somehow the volume went up on both the sound and the sunshine! Maybe organiser Ian Sands can manage the weather as well as the musicians. He must be a kind of magic. This is a great local festival that really rocks - with the likes of Mary Coughlan, Jimmy Smyth, Matt Benson, the Bluez Katz Blues Band - and more. We took pics to show you some of the highlights. They can be seen on the newry.ie website and page...

Check out the photographs from Clive Price of the wonderful 2026 Blues on the Bay weekend.

22/05/2026

Newry's Venetian-style centre of worship has risen from the flood waters of 2023 – and is back to being a historic city landmark and great gig venue.

https://www.iurcinnfleadh.com/flood-hit-riverside-church-is-back/

22/05/2026

Riverside Church have played a major part in Iúr Cinn Fleadh as a popular venue for Fleadh gigs over the past eight years. They were hit hard by the flood of 2023 but are now back! Join them this weekend at their celebration events - the first one was tonight - but there's more to come!

https://www.facebook.com/riversidenewry/

https://riverside.rpc.org/

16/05/2026

Special find at the recent Newry Record Fair - where you'll usually find some of the Iúr Cinn Fleadh team flicking through the album racks. 'Commoners Crown' was Steeleye Span's seventh studio album, featuring such great tracks as 'Bach Goes To Limerick' and 'Galtee Farmer'. There are some wonderful sounds on this record. But it was a bit overshadowed by Steeleye's own massive hit 'All Around My Hat' which came out the same year, 1975. What a fantastic time for music!

14/05/2026

Horslips frontman and Iúr Cinn Fleadh artist Barry Devlin appears in the beautifully funny film 'The Spin' which was on the telly this week. Also starring is Newry actor Leah O'Rourke - so that's another reason for watching this marvellous movie. The basic story is that two guys try to save their record shop by going on a road trip - 'the spin' as we call it over here. Vinyl is also part of the Fleadh experience - as the Newry Record Fair usually turns up as part of our festival each year. Horslips musicians Barry Devlin and Jim Lockhart took part in the 2023 Fleadh. It was a moment of sheer wonder to have the two of them engage 'in conversation' and treat them to instrumental versions of some of their hits by the 40-piece Oriel Traditional Orchestra. It was one of the best nights ever. If you missed 'The Spin' on the box this week, catch up on iPlayer. And thank heaven for records!

09/05/2026

Our very own Niamh Noade was runner-up in tonight's Britain's Got Talent semi-finals! Niamh sang the classic 80s hit Together In Electric Dreams by Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder. She sounded strong, confident and mature, just as a real star would. What an excellent performance! Ant and Dec mentioned Newry, too. Result!

Simply stunning.Singer and harpist Niamh gives Philip Oakey's digital ode 'Together in Electric Dreams' an analogue makeover as she transforms the 80s hit wi...

09/05/2026