Opening night is always a fantastic night and this year is no exception! Festival regulars Simon Doyle (Ireland) & Chris Woolley (England) open proceedings, followed by BBC Radio Scotland Young Trad finalist Evie Waddell (Scotland) and then the fabulous Gráinne Brady (Ireland) Band.

Gráinne Brady Band
Gráinne Brady comes from a musical household in Co. Cavan, Ireland. She grew up playing fiddle at traditional music festivals throughout Ireland, building from that a broad repertoire of tunes.

Her fiddle playing style emanates from the musical lyricism of counties Cavan, Leitrim and Clare, and has more recently evolved to incorporate newfound Scottish influences.

Now based out of Glasgow, Gráinne relishes in the creative milieu of the city’s renowned traditional and folk scene, where players are writing new music, swapping tunes, and drawing from the rich cultural lode of shared regional styles and identity.

With two solo albums under her belt, Gráinne has performed her own music across Scotland and Ireland. Previous creative collaborations include The Routes Quartet, Top Floor Taivers (with Scots singer Claire Hastings) and LAS (with Gaelic singer Joy Dunlop).

Gráinne will be joined on this occasion by guitarist and singer Luc McNally, bodhrán player Lea Larsen and bass player Rhona MacDonald.

Official website: www.grainnebradyfiddle.com

Evie Waddell
I am Evie Waddell, a Gaelic and Scots singer, and fiddler hailing from Stirlingshire. I graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a BMus Traditional Music. My proficiency in Gaelic comes from my education within the Gaelic-medium school system. During my younger years, I actively participated in the intergenerational community group Riverside Music Project. While my passion for Scottish Music is deeply rooted in the influence of Jo Miller, I also draw inspiration from Ivor Cutler, Martyn Bennet, Lisa O Neill, and Rhiannon Giddens.

In 2020, I had the opportunity to showcase my talents in British Sign Language (BSL), acting, music, and dance as I performed with WHYTE in the play MAIM by Theatre Gu Leòr. I have directed and toured my own show called ‘Fàilte Gu BSL’ in 2022-2023. I was a winner of the Danny Kyle Open Stage 2023 and I am a BBC Young Traditional Musician Semi-Finalist 2024. I released my visual EP ‘Cluich!’ in February 2024. I am under the management of The Bothy Society.

In 2020, I had the opportunity to showcase my talents in British Sign Language (BSL), acting, music, and dance as I performed with WHYTE in the play MAIM by Theatre Gu Leòr. The year 2022 marked a significant achievement for me, as I was named a winner of the Danny Kyle Open Stage. I released my debut EP, titled ‘Leviathan,’ on December 23rd, 2022. Moving forward from 2023, I am now under the management of The Bothy Society.

Official Website: www.eviewaddell.co.uk

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