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Episode details

Radio 2,05 Aug 2026,57 mins

Absolute Lilt and music from the Fleadh Cheoil in Belfast

The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe

Available for 29 days

The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (the All-Ireland Fleadh) is the world's biggest festival of Irish traditional music and culture. This week, it's happening in Belfast for the very first time. Mark crosses to the Ulster Hall to hear music from a special concert called 'Ebb & Flow'. The event is being hosted by BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle and features The Ulster Orchestra. And Mark speaks to Lisa Canny and Niamh Hinchy from Irish duo Absolute Lilt. They tell us what it's like to compete at the Fleadh as young musicians, and how that led to their current duo and their unstoppable big band: Biird. Produced by Pomona for BBC Radio 2.

Programme Website
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Tracklist

  1. Track
    Artist
  2. 1.
    The Whistling Postman / The Blacksmith's Daughter / The Mountain Road
    The Whistling Postman / The Blacksmith's Daughter / The Mountain Road
    The McKenna Family
  3. 2.
    Lon Dubh Loch Lao (Live in Ulster Hall, Belfast, 5th August 2026)
    Lon Dubh Loch Lao (Live in Ulster Hall, Belfast, 5th August 2026)
    Duke Special, Dónal O’Connor, John McSherry & Ulster Orchestra
  4. 3.
    Rita Leonard (Live in Ulster Hall, Belfast, 5th August 2026)
    Rita Leonard (Live in Ulster Hall, Belfast, 5th August 2026)
    Úna Monaghan & Ulster Orchestra