By Ríonach O’Connor

I wanted to write a blog from the point of view of a 15 year-old who attended the Belfast TradFest and Summer School of Traditional Music to give you, the reader, a perspective on what the week was like. So, here goes...

Monday

The streets of Belfast buzzed with excitement as I made my way to Ulster University, where the masterclasses were held. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of people wandering around with instrument cases on their backs. Everyone was registering for classes in the foyer of the fabulous new university building. I joined the back of the queue and met up with some friends. We made our way to the desks where the TradFest volunteers had set up, and my friends and I signed in. I said goodbye to my friend Sadhbh, who had travelled up from West Kerry, and my little sister, who was doing the fiddle classes and had to go get sorted into her group. I had twenty minutes before my class was to start, so I went out and bought some breakfast, then made my way over to my class in the other building.

Sean nós dancing masterclass with Mary McGuiggan

Walking into my sean nós dancing class with tutor Mary McGuiggan for the first time was nerve-wracking. But I put my stuff on a chair and started talking to the people in the class. When Mary walked in, we started the lesson. After an hour of learning different steps, I decided to go across the street to grab a snack and meet my friends. We walked around the campus and, in the third-floor atrium, saw that TradFest had set up stalls with artists, instrument makers, and music organisations. Eventually, the break ended, and we all went back to our classes. I did another two hours of dancing. Mary taught us some more steps, which was great fun, and eventually, it was time for the classes to end. At half-past one, we went to the slow session led by Maeve O’Donnell, and I watched as all my friends played their new tunes. I tried out a couple of steps on the edge of the session. There was such a great buzz in the university with everyone chatting and enjoying the music.

We headed back to the house to get ready and returned at three o’clock for a junior session in the Green Room at the Black Box. This was great because it had a really relaxed atmosphere. We all got to try out our new steps, the musicians got to test their new tunes, and we met new friends from different classes. At five o'clock, we made our way back over to the university for a talk with Neil Martin on the uilleann pipes in the western art tradition, which was very interesting.

At 6pm we made our way to the Black Box for the flute concert ‘Flutopia’ - funny name. It was cool to hear Catherine McEvoy, Gary Hastings and Éimhear Flannery but I was really impressed with Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh who stepped in at short notice because Kevin Crawford’s flight from America was cancelled because of the storms.

Some of my older friends ended the night by going to the Festival Club, they had a great time and got to hear some new music which they said was awesome.

Tuesday

I woke up at 8 o'clock and rushed out to catch the bus. I got to the university just in time for my class. The lesson involved learning new steps and Mary teaching us about the history of sean-nós and old-style step dancing. Mary was great, we had a good mix of serious and fun and we learned loads. We spent the rest of the lesson rehearsing for the end-of-week performance, which would take place in the magnificent Belfast Cathedral.

In the afternoon, my friends and I attended a workshop by the great tin whistler Mary Bergin, who introduced rhythm and ornamentation in traditional music. Mary was great fun and a total expert, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone play the tin whistle quite like her. Amazing!

We ended our day with the concert in the lovely MAC theatre - "Seán Maguire - Ómós," which featured incredible fiddlers like Zoe Conway, Tara Breen, and Cathal Hayden, as well as a big group of fiddlers from county Antrim who were taught by Johnny Murphy, himself a pupil of Seán Maguire. We really enjoyed the concert, although you really would need to like fiddles!!

Wednesday

I woke up at 6am and decided to head down early. I got to the city centre around 8 o'clock and walked past the student accommodation, where I saw a bunch of students heading out for coffee. One of the students was in my class and invited me to join them, so I went along. We talked about the nightly sessions in the student accommodation. They said it was so much fun to play with people from all over the world, and they loved how new, clean, and comfortable the accommodation was, especially since it was just across the road from the summer school classes.

I started the day by reviewing the steps. Even as a beginner, the supportive atmosphere made it feel like we were all part of something bigger—keeping the tradition alive. By midday, I started to feel a bit hungry, so I wandered through the bustling streets of Belfast and stopped at a local café for a quick bite. The friendly chatter around me was a mix of festival-goers and locals, and it felt like the whole city was really getting into the spirit of TradFest. Irish stew and soda bread gave me the energy I needed for the afternoon class. Back in class, we continued our practice before heading to another junior session at the Black Box, this time led by Aisling Lyons from County Clare. She was lovely and encouraged everyone to participate and start tunes. My friends and I tried out some new steps.

That night, I went to the Belfast Harp Festival concert at the Crescent Arts Centre with my mother. It’s a beautiful venue, and I learned that Belfast was a significant place for harp music because of an important festival in 1792 that helped preserve the old music of the blind harpers. I loved the performances by Eilís Lavelle from Monaghan, Gráinne Meyer, and host Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, who sang two beautiful songs from the Bunting Collection. She told us that this collection from the 1700’s is housed in the library in Queen’s University. How cool is that. I’m going to ask my dad to bring me there to see it sometime. My dance tutor Mary McGuiggan even danced some steps. It was amazing to see her perform with the musicians, and we all gave a standing ovation at the end.

Thursday

This was the busiest day yet! Everyone was a little stressed about the upcoming performance, but our teachers reassured us that we’d done great over the week. In class, we reviewed the different steps we’d learned, and I practiced my best. During lunch, I wasn’t very hungry, so I wandered around Donegall Street and looked at all the shops, bars, and restaurants. After the break, we went back to class and continued learning new steps. We ended the day at Ulster University, and my friends and I decided to go home—it had been an exhausting day for everyone. I practiced a few more steps and looked at the TradFest social media that evening. There was some incredible footage from the Lúnasa & Lumiere concert at the Empire Music Hall. I really wished I’d been there. Next time!

Friday

The big day had finally arrived. I couldn’t believe I was standing in Belfast Cathedral, looking up at the altar where I would be performing later. During the morning, we reviewed the steps and said goodbye to everyone in class since this was our last day. We walked together to the Cathedral, all the classes mingling, a real fizz in the air. I was so nervous that I felt like I was going to explode. Then, two minutes before going on stage with my class, my nerves disappeared. I was here, and it didn’t matter if I messed up—all that mattered was that I’d had fun. When we were called on stage, I couldn’t help but laugh with my friend Laura, as I felt my legs flying into the air as we danced. It went really well; no one messed up, and we had so much fun.

Afterward, I was filled with relief, and the excitement washed over me. Our teacher, Mary, told us we were brilliant and that she’d enjoyed teaching us all week. I watched the rest of the performances, which were amazing. Over 650 students performed, many of whom had never been on stage before. It was such a thrill. The concert ended with everyone set dancing in the aisles, led by Ronán Eastwood, who is funny—it was incredible. Students of all ages, finishing the week on such a high.

Set dancing along the aisles of Belfast Cathedral

After the concert, I met up with my friends, and we headed to a session at The John Hewitt Bar with the pipers Neil Martin, Darragh Murphy, and Francis McIlduff. The energy at the session was amazing. Afterwards, we stayed at the bar, met up with friends from different classes, and said our goodbyes before it was time to go home.

I was sad to leave, but I knew I would be back for this amazing experience next year. Thank you, TradFest, for making my summer. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.

If you would like to attend Belfast Summer School of Traditional Music in 2025, find out more here.

Spend a week at Belfast TradFest with me