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The heart of South Armagh will come alive next month as Keady hosts the first Tommy Makem Folk Festival, a six-day celebration of traditional music, song, poetry, storytelling and local heritage taking place from 4 to 9 November.
The festival will honour the life and legacy of Tommy Makem, fondly known as "The Bard of Armagh", with events transforming the town where he first lifted his voice into a vibrant stage of music, memory and community spirit. Events planned range from lively pub sessions to intimate concerts, walking tours and craft fairs, promising to capture the soul of Irish tradition that Tommy Makem carried to the world.
Festival highlights include a headline concert on 7 November by the acclaimed Daoirí Farrell Trio, supported by The Rollicking Ramblers. The Conor Mallon Band will be joined by the Oriel Traditional Orchestra on 8 November and there will be a special Tommy Makem film screening and question and answer session with Northern Ireland Screen. Traditional sessions will fill venues across the town, including The Twisted Fox, Cooper Bar, Arthur's, Ollie Mones and Rock Bar in Granemore, keeping the tunes rolling long into the night. On Saturday there is also a dedicated session for teenagers, plus a singing, story and poetry session led by multi All-Ireland singing champion Katie Boyle who will be joined by acclaimed storyteller Peter Carragher.
Visitors can also attend "The Talk of Tommy", an expert talk by Dr Frank Ferguson celebrating Makem's place in Irish song. There's also a walking tours of historic Keady, led by local historian Willie Monaghan, discovering the stories behind the streets and songs that shaped the local landscape.
A cornerstone of the festival's community focus is the School Workshops Project, delivered in partnership with the John Hewitt Society. Local primary school pupils will explore creative writing and songwriting inspired by Tommy Makem's themes of time, place and tradition, ensuring that the next generation continues to give voice to local heritage.
Festival Chairman Paul Hughes said: "This festival was born out of love, love for Tommy, for the songs he wrote and sang, and for the community that shaped him. Folk music lives through people coming together, and that's exactly what we're celebrating here in Keady."
Marking the tenth anniversary of the Tommy Makem Arts and Community Centre, this year's festival stands as both a tribute and a promise that the music, humour and humanity of one of Ireland's great cultural ambassadors will continue to inspire for generations to come.
For full programme details and ticket information, visit:
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