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music · Thursday 27 August 2026 · 10:00am 
Iúr Cinn Fleadh
At Newry city centre · Barrack Street, Newry, Co. Down, BT35 6DA
At Newry city centre · Barrack Street, Newry, Co. Down, BT35 6DA
Iúr Cinn Fleadh takes its name from Newry’s Irish name, An tIúr Cinn Trá, and fills the city centre with traditional and folk music over the August Bank Holiday weekend, running from Thursday 27 to Monday 31 August 2026. It is a community festival built around trad sessions in venues across the city rather than a single stage, and the organisers describe most of the programme as completely free to attend.
Expect trad sessions running through pubs and venues across Newry city centre for most of the long weekend, with the festival’s own opening times stretching from 10am to 11pm Thursday through Monday. The standout paid add-on is the Trad Cruise, a boat trip along the Newry Canal and Clanrye River with live traditional music on board, which needs a separate ticket bought in advance given the limited capacity. Beyond the sessions, the festival includes cultural activities and a specific event at Newry and Mourne Museum at Bagenal’s Castle, giving the weekend a heritage strand alongside the pure music programme. Newry’s city centre becomes noticeably busier over the Bank Holiday as a result, with the festival drawing musicians and listeners in from across south Down and south Armagh.
Iúr Cinn Fleadh is centred on Newry city centre, including Barrack Street, within walking distance of the Newry Bus and Rail Interchange. The Trad Cruise departs from the canal in the city centre; check the festival’s own site for the exact departure point and cruise times.
Newry’s Bank Holiday weekend gets busy with the Fleadh’s trad sessions spread across its bars, so it is worth building in time to walk between venues rather than sticking to one spot. There is more to see in Newry and across Co. Down.
Heading to Newry city centre in Newry? Down has plenty more to see. Read the Newry area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.