Belfast Tradfest: Traditional Irish music and dance 'belong to everybody'

Irish traditional music and dance "belong to everybody", according to Belfast TradFest's founder and artistic director Dónal O'Connor. There is about to be a "trad takeover" in the city over the next two weeks, O'Connor suggested, with the world's largest festival of Irish music and dance beginning the same day that TradFest ends. "Many people have said that Belfast TradFest paved the way for a bid for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (The All-Ireland Fleadh), and I think that's true," he said. 'This culture belongs to everybody' Now in its eighth year, O'Connor explained that one of their aims when starting out "was to bring people" together through traditional music. "During the Troubles, like many other things, traditional music became polarised and certain aspects of the tradition were perceived to belong to one side or the other, but we have broken down those barriers," he said. "We've shown people that this music, this culture, this dance, these songs, they belong to everybody... so I think Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann coming to Belfast is a recognition of that work." O'Connor, who is also a fiddle player, thinks that it's "a sign that the world has confidence in this city, that it's an exciting, vibrant, energetic, welcoming place". "We're really excited that there will be a 'trad takeover' of this city for a fortnight, something that might have seemed inconceivable five, 10 years ago," he told BBC News NI. TradFest Shared conversations at the edge of a session in a backroom bar make TradFest what it is, O'Connor says Belfast TradFest has "something for everybody", O'Connor explained. The eight-day festival offers concerts, céilís, music masterclasses and more. "We have some incredible bands," O'Connor said, with the Michael McGoldrick Big Band, featuring 11 musicians, opening the festival on Sunday at the Mandela Hall. Irish-American band Solas is returning to Belfast to play their first show in almost 20 years. The Anglo-Irish instrumental band Flook is performing and Irish folk band Four Men and a Dog are returning to the festival. But for O'Connor, it's not just the headliners that make TradFest special. "Aside from the big moments in the big halls, it's small little asides that really make this festival what it is," he says. "A little shared conversation at the edge of a session in a backroom bar or a late night tune at the festival club, with a young musician getting to sit beside one of their heroes, they're the moments that really last long in the memory." 'Reimagining old stories' TradFest More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the outdoor céilí at Titanic Slipways featuring the Blackwater Céilí Band O'Connor said that it's "very important" to celebrate and to continue these traditions. "Traditional music tells us who we are, where we're from," he explained. "But it also tells us where we're going and traditional artists are constantly breaking new ground, pushing the envelope hard, reimagining old stories and old songs and old tunes in a way that makes them fresh," he said. "So I think it's, of all the art forms, one that explores the past, that celebrates the present, and that tips the hat to the future." Handout Fiddle player Eimear Magee says there is a 'really good buzz' at TradFest Fiddle player Eimear Magee says that TradFest has something for "everybody of all abilities, young and old". She is opening for Solas, as well as teaching workshops and céili classes at this year's TradFest. She said there is a "really good buzz" at the festival. "The city of Belfast at the moment is absolutely thriving with traditional music," she said. "TradFest has really kind of brought that along," she added. "I think because it has worked so well within the city it has made it a possibility for an all-Ireland fleadh [to come to Belfast]." 'The craic' Handout Eimear says it's important to keep passing down traditional music and dance to the next generation The 25-year-old musician said there's "nothing like" playing traditional Irish music, describing the feeling of playing a session as "surreal". "To try to explain it to someone who doesn't play is very, very hard, but when you're in the middle of it, it's very magical." "It's passed down through a generation and that's the most important thing," Magee added. She added it's important to keep the tradition alive, and that the "craic" happens at sessions in the moments that aren't pre-planned. Belfast TradFest kicks of on Sunday with a huge céilí at Titanic Slipways and finishes on 2 August.