Alex Gallacher

Irish Flute Player, singer, writer and storyteller Séamus Tansey of Gurteen, Co Sligo has passed away. Tributes have continued to pour in following the news of his passing on Friday, 8th July.

Welsh Chamberfolk trio VRï return on 28th October with their new album ‘islais a genir’. Watch them performing Cainc Sain Tathan at Trefaes Uchaf, an old Welsh farmhouse.

Granny’s Attic are gearing up for a series of Summer Festival dates including Sidmouth, Warwick, Moira Furnace, Bromyard and Derby Folk Festival. Joined by Alice Jones, here they are performing ABBA’s Does Your Mother Know…folk stylee.

On 23rd September, Sairie are releasing an EP of film music titled The Cinder Sheet. Watch their stunning new video for Pearl’s Song, originally from the film The Night of the Hunter (1955). It’s a masterpiece.

Bristol-based folk music trio Tarren, featuring Sid Goldsmith, Alex Garden and Danny Pedler share video for De Rien, taken from their forthcoming celebratory debut album Revel.

The countdown to Derby Folk Festival is on featuring Lady Nade, Spiers & Boden, Robb Johnson, Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, Granny’s Attic, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Jez Lowe, Bob Fox & Billy Mitchell, Narthen, The Carrivick Sisters, The Pitmen Poets, Lucy Ward & more

Son of John shares a lyric video for his third album single, Feel That Moment, the whole movement and feel of which is sublime; one of many magical moments from this beautiful album.

Taken from his forthcoming ‘Hinterland EP’, watch StevieRay Latham’s “Fugitive”, an up-tempo, folk-rock groove and urgent, lyrical story-telling which sweeps the listener into an allegorical world of existential psychodrama and substance abuse.

Watch Brighton-based folk group Bird In The Belly performing their new song ‘Employ John Day No More’ in Sherbourne Valley Allotments. The song is inspired by the diaries of food horticulturalist John Whittingham which span from 1745-91.

Lossan, the duo debut from Manx Gaelic singer Ruth Keggin and Scottish Harpist Rachel Hair is one of the most beautiful albums I’ve heard this year. If anything makes you fall in love with the Manx culture and language, this will.

Taken from the latest all-star-folk-cast Lush compilation album ‘Life’s What You Make It’, watch Jackie Oates’ cover of The Cure’s ‘Untitled’ – she teases out the folk DNA to breathtaking effect.

In a new series of posts looking at Folk and Traditional Music over the ages, we head back to 1951 for The first Edinburgh People’s Festival Ceilidh – the big bang of the Scottish folk revival; presided over by Hamish Henderson and recorded by Alan Lomax.