The Trad Gathering

IMDL’s London-wide youth project The Trad Gathering features a large group of young traditional Irish musicians led by Karen Ryan and Pete Quinn. The project was founded in 2008; jointly commissioned by the BBC Proms and Return to Camden Town Festival.

In recent years, the group have been celebrating music from the repertoires of prominent members of the London Irish music scene, including: Bryan Rooney, The McCarthy Family, Roger Sherlock, Lucy Farr, Danny Meehan, John Bowe, Julia Clifford, Mick O’Connor and Tommy Maguire. The Trad Gathering have performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Kings Place, Royal Festival Hall, Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s Day Festival at Trafalgar Square and many more.

At RtLT 2025, members of the group will play their debut performance of tunes from the repertoire of the legendary Connemara flute player, Marcus Hernon.