Fête de la Musique 2026

Bouzouki Craic brings together Irish, Greek, and Cypriot traditions to open CCI's 2026 Fête de la Musique in collaborative style!
The bouzouki, a Greek instrument that found its way into Irish traditional music in the 1970s, is at the heart of this encounter between Antonis Antoniou (Cyprus), Yannis Pournaras (Greece), Macdara Ó Faoláin, and Libby McCrohan (Ireland). These four talented musicians are spending a week together in residency at the CCI to develop a special European performance. Presented tonight in a world premiere, their improvisation, intertwining, and dialogue of melodies will celebrate this instrument as an important bridge between Mediterranean and Irish cultures.

In association with Chypre Culture and the Centre Culturel Hellénique.

Saltaire brings together three distinct musical voices, shaped by years of performing in acclaimed Irish traditional and folk bands, and as sought-after session musicians. Comprised of singer/cellist Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz, guitarist Ian Kinsella and bodhrán/bouzouki player Conor Lyons, their combined experience fuels a bold and dynamic sound, weaving haunting, ethereal folk styles with rich storytelling to create original songs, reimagined folk ballads and traditional tunes. With the deep resonance of cello, the rhythmic pulse of bodhrán, and the melodic interplay of guitar and bouzouki, they craft a fresh yet rich folk sound that feels both timeless and nostalgic. At the end of February this year, Saltaire unveiled their highly anticipated debut EP, Only Moonlight, to critical acclaim (Hot Press, RTÉ Radio 1 Recommends List, Irish Music Magazine, BBC, RnR Magazine, Golden Plec, etc). They were selected as official showcase artists first in Belfast at the "Your Roots Are Showing" folk music conference, as well as the Culture Ireland TradFest showcase in Dublin, and have since been invited to perform across Europe, Australia, and the United States. Tonight, Saltaire are delighted to have Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin (flute) and Laura Jo (banjo) joining them for a festive night.

In over thirty years of her career, Bronagh Gallagher has appeared in several cult films, including The Commitments, Pulp Fiction, and Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace, as well as TV series (most recently How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, created by Lisa McGee, the writer of Derry Girls). Alongside her acting career, Bronagh is regarded as one of the leading figures of soul music in Ireland, admired both for the quality of her songwriting and her outstanding live performances. To this day, the “girl from Derry” has released three studio albums, along with critically acclaimed singles and EPs, all self-produced on her own label, Salty Dog Records. Following several memorable performances at the CCI in 2015 and 2017, and again in 2023 during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, she returns with her remarkable band to pay tribute to the soul music of the 1960s and early 1970s. Let yourself be swept away by the timeless blues compositions of this immensely charismatic diva, moving effortlessly between spellbinding ballads and dazzling vocal performances.