Cultural festival Féile na Tána coming to Louth and Oriel region this month

Renowned Irish cultural festival Féile na Tána is looking forward to its twelfth festival running from Sunday 25 January to Monday 2 February 2026, and the programme delivers over a week of world class events taking place in counties Louth and Armagh of Oriel and south-east Ulster, famed for producing many of the great poets of Ulster.

This year for the first time, Féile na Tána is broadening its reach beyond the Cooley peninsula and stretches northwards into rural south Armagh. Both Gullion and Cooley are steeped in Ulster myth, legend and history, their names mentioned in the early manuscript writings of Táin Bó Cúailnge, one of Europe's oldest vernacular epics. It is no coincidence that the area is rich with history and archaeological wonder.

Picturesque rural villages are busy getting everything in place to welcome over forty eminent musicians, singers, poets and dancers and over a hundred enthusiastic music students to the area. The festival is known for celebrating the wealth of regional and national heritage in the traditional Irish arts, and people travel from far and wide to attend the festivities. 

Kicking off in the beautiful surrounds of Carlingford Heritage Centre, the opening concert on Sunday 25 January at 6pm will feature Hothouse Flowers frontman, Liam O Maonlaí; poet, writer and broadcaster, Vincent Woods and the Cruit Éireann|Harp Ireland All-Island Ensemble, led by harper Síofra Ní Dhubhghaill, presents Anáil Ársa na Seanmhaoine, a re-imagining of music of the ancient harpers from the Bunting & Neal Collections by the acclaimed harper-composer Michael
Rooney.

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On Thursday 29 January at 7pm, there is a celebration of the music and song of Oriel in Ti Chulainn, Mullaghbawn at the foot of Slieve Gullian, with Gerry O' Connor on fiddle; Sárán, Caoimhe agus Tadhg Ó Maolagáin on concertina, fiddle & dance; renowned singer Bláithín Mhic Cana and local historian/storyteller Seamus Murphy.

A highlight of this year's programme includes a new commission by Riverdance composer Bill Whelan for four Irish harps. This concert at 8pm on Friday 30 January at Carlingford Heritage Centre is presented in association with Cruit Éireann|Harp
Ireland and will feature harpers from the four provinces of Ireland - Aisling Lyons, Cormac de Barra, Gráinne Meyer & Séamus Ó Flatharta. Séamus will also perform with his sister Caoimhe in a duo performance, and artistic directors Zoë Conway & John McIntyre will also perform at this event.

Irish music enthuisasts of all ages will travel from far and wide to attend the workshops at Bush Post Primary School on Saturday 31 January, taking part in classes with world renowned exponents of their craft including Mary Bergin, tin-whistle; Caoimhín O Raghallaigh, fiddle; Cathal Hayden, banjo; Máirtín O Connor, accordian; Stephanie Keane, sean nos dancing; and many more.

Workshops are for players with three years experience or more on their instrument, however, even beginners will be able to join the easy tin-whistle, singing or sean-nós dancing classes. And if all that wasn't enough, there will be plenty of sessions, singing circles, young musicians & concerts, lectures, exhibitions, céilís and more throughout the festival.

These leading musicians, singers and dancers will come together in a unique concert at Carlingford Heritage Centre for the main festival concert on Saturday 31 January at 8pm - an annual concert that always raises the roof.

One of the festival's most loved events is the ‘Mól an Óige!’ - Praise the Young - Musician’s Concert in memory of the late John Mc Kevitt who was a volunteer with Féile na Tána.

This concert at the Four Seasons Hotel on Sunday 1 February will feature: The Sweet Suite; composed and performed by Nós Nua Youth Folk Orchestra led by Ryan Molloy; Fergal Scahill; Music Generation Louth Harp Ensemble; Scoil Naomh Lorcan; Bush Post Primary Trad ensembles and more. Come along to see that the future of Irish music is in safe hands!

To book tickets, or for more information see eventbrite or www.feilenatana.com