29th Guinness Irish Christmas Festival

The very diverse program this year is titled "Diaspora" and is dominated by female power.

One of the very first artists to tour with her then-band "The Bumblebees" on Irish Christmas was the magnificent harpist Laoise Kelly. It was Laoise who revolutionized the Irish harp as a solo instrument! She worked closely with Kate Bush, the Chieftains, and many others, and was honored as TG4 Musician Of The Year in 2020!

Flute superstar Mike McGoldrick, one of the absolute cult figures of contemporary traditional Irish folk, who grew up in the Irish diaspora of Manchester, will be traveling with his nieces and will bring a very traditional accent with The McGoldrick Family, introducing us to the backbone of Irish music, namely the music within families. Mike founded bands like Lunasa and Flook and played for 14 years in Mark Knopfler's band.

There is hardly a more powerful, spectacular duo than the sensational sisters Cassie & Maggie MacDonald from Canada. Deeply rooted in the fiddle-dominated folk tradition of Nova Scotia, they draw from the rich treasure of their Scottish ancestors and combine fiddle sounds with guitar/piano, two-part harmonies, and step dancing.