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arts · Friday 18 September 2026 · Various 
Boyne TradFest 2026
At Multiple Drogheda venues · Drogheda, Co. Louth
At Multiple Drogheda venues · Drogheda, Co. Louth
Boyne TradFest is three days of traditional Irish music spread across Drogheda’s pubs, galleries, churches and community spaces every September. Now in its fourth year, the festival has grown into one of the east coast’s most welcoming weekends for anyone who loves the music - whether you play, you’re learning, or you just want to sit in a pub and let it wash over you. It opens on Culture Night, which gives Friday evening an extra charge, and runs through to Sunday afternoon.
The weekend has four main strands running in parallel. Workshops are proper three-hour masterclasses taught by established musicians, covering everything from harp and uilleann pipes to fiddle, concertina, button accordion, tin whistle, flute, banjo, guitar and bodhrán - so whatever you play, there is likely a class for you. Session trails are the heartbeat of the weekend: a trail of live sessions in the town’s pubs, with over 50 musicians moving through the likes of Nelly’s, Market Bar, Hops, Clarkes and McHugh’s from mid-afternoon into the night.
Alongside the pub sessions, recitals in Drogheda Library and Highlanes Gallery offer something quieter - intimate performances in buildings with real architectural character, and a chance to hear solo artists or small groups properly. Céilí dancing rounds things out on the social side, with live accompaniment and no experience required to join in.
Most of the programme is free. Some recitals and concerts carry a small ticket price - check the programme at boynetradfest.ie as it fills in through the summer.
Drogheda sits on the Dublin to Belfast rail corridor, with regular Enterprise and commuter services from Connolly Station taking around 40 minutes. By road it is just off the M1 motorway at junction 9 or 10, roughly 50 km north of Dublin. Buses from Busáras also run the route frequently. Parking in the town centre can be tight on festival weekends - the Scotch Hall Shopping Centre car park is one of the most reliable options.
Drogheda has a lot going for it beyond the music - the Millmount Museum, Highlanes Gallery, the medieval town walls and St. Laurence’s Gate are all worth a look while you are finding your feet between sessions. There is more to see in Drogheda and across Co. Louth.
Heading to Multiple Drogheda venues in Drogheda? Louth has plenty more to see. Read the Drogheda area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.