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music · Sunday 26 July 2026 · 1:00pm 
Cherish the Ladies - Belfast TradFest 2026
At Mandela Hall · Elmwood Avenue, Belfast, Co. Antrim
At Mandela Hall · Elmwood Avenue, Belfast, Co. Antrim
One of the great names in Irish-American traditional music comes to Belfast for the opening concert of Belfast TradFest 2026. Cherish the Ladies have been playing together since 1985, when folklorist Mick Moloney launched them in New York as a showcase for female musicians in what had long been a male-dominated scene. Four decades on, they have 18 albums, a Grammy nomination, an Emmy award-winning PBS special and performances at the White House to their name. Led by Joanie Madden - a Bronx-born All-Ireland champion flute and tin whistle player - the group blends jigs, reels, songs and step dance into something that works both as concert spectacle and pure trad. If you have never caught them live, this is a good place to start.
The show takes place at 1pm on Sunday 26 July - the opening day of Belfast TradFest 2026, the festival’s landmark eighth edition. It is a daytime concert, which makes it well suited to families as well as anyone who wants to ease into the week-long programme rather than arrive at a late-night session. Cherish the Ladies are known for putting on a proper show: tight musicianship, strong vocals and enough step dance to keep things moving. The venue, Mandela Hall, was completely rebuilt in 2022 and now holds up to 1,000 for standing shows, with a seated configuration for around 400. It has a high-quality sound system and excellent acoustics. The broader TradFest programme runs 26 July to 2 August, with more than 600 events across 40 venues, so this concert can sit comfortably at the start of a longer visit to the festival or to Belfast itself.
Mandela Hall sits on Elmwood Avenue just off University Road in Belfast’s Queen’s Quarter, a short walk from the city centre. From Belfast Europa Bus Centre and Belfast Great Victoria Street station it is about a 15 to 20 minute walk south, or a quick hop on any Metro bus running along the Lisburn Road or Malone Road corridor. From Dublin, the Enterprise rail service runs regularly to Belfast Lanyon Place, from where the venue is roughly a 25-minute walk or a short taxi ride. If you are driving, the Queen’s University area has some on-street parking and a number of pay-and-display car parks nearby, though weekend afternoon parking can fill up quickly during festival events.
The festival itself gives you plenty of reason to stay - free sessions in over 20 pubs along the Dunville’s Irish Whiskey Session Trail, pop-up céilís at Grand Central Station, workshops, talks and more. There is more to see in Belfast and across Co. Antrim.
Heading to Mandela Hall in Belfast? Antrim has plenty more to see. Read the Belfast area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.