Trad to be back!

Cork will once again revel in the beauty of live music this week when one of the county’s most celebrated festivals makes a restricted but very welcome return.

Bantry’s annual Masters of Tradition festival will take the form of three live concerts and a series of streamed events featuring some of Irish trad’s biggest names.

With indoor gatherings currently restricted to a maximum of 50 people, there will be limited tickets available for each of the three live concerts, which take place in Bantry’s Maritime Hotel.

As part of the festival, musicians will also be reviving the Secret Concert series, creating a series of films in favourite locations such as Bantry House, Whiddy and Garnish Islands, and Future Forests, which will be streamed throughout the festival.

The 2020 line up includes Donovan, Christy Moore, Steve Cooney, Cormac Begley, Ye Vagabonds, Dónal McCague, Tommy Fitzharris, Caitlín Nic Gabhann, Ciarán O Maonaigh, Róisín Chambers, Eimear Coughlan and Francis Cunningham.

Artistic Director Martin Hayes would usually feature throughout five-day festival, however, due to travel restrictions he will not be able to attend in person this year but will be present virtually on screen.

Covid-19 regulations will be meticulously observed throughout the festival and ticketholders will receive detailed guidance on the latest safety procedures. Each live concert will also be filmed and made available for streaming.

The 2020 Masters of Tradition kicked off yesterday and will run right up until Sunday evening.

Online booking is not available for the three live concerts. To book tickets call the festival office on 027-52788. A maximum of four tickets can be booked per concert.

The online concerts can only be booked through the festival’s Vimeo channel at vimeo.com/ondemand/mastersoftradition2020.