Fiddler Martin Hayes: ‘I come to the table with whatever little bit I managed to bring off the side of the mountain’

The acclaimed musician reimagines his album Peggy’s Dream with the National Symphony Orchestra this St Patrick’s weekend

‘The woman who loaned me the Stradivarius offered to sell it for £140,000, but my own fiddle sounded better’

Master luthier Jim McKillop has crafted one final instrument for musician Zoë Conway, a process preserved in the new film From a Forest to a Fiddle

Folks’ Music: Terry Riley would love this trad take on In C every bit as much as the audience did

Louth Contemporary Music Society’s engaging weekend festival also featured the Esposito Quartet, Sigma Project and Explore Ensemble

The Guide: The events to see, the shows to book, and the ones to catch before they end

The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week

A trad take on Terry Riley’s In C: ‘It’s totally out of the comfort zone for all of us’

In C will be performed by Irish traditional musicians, led by Zoë Conway in St. Nicholas’ Church of Ireland, Dundalk on Saturday, June 17th, as part of this year’s Louth Contemporary Music Society festival. louthcms.org SOLD OUT

Cork Folk Festival directors honoured for keeping festival going for 40 years

Jim Walsh and Hammy Hammond honoured for dedication

New artist of the week: Tebi Rex

Plus songs and videos to catch from Charlotte Gainsbourg and Myles O’Reilly

Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John McIntyre: Allt review – Awesome foursome make musical magic

Fleadh Cheoil festival expected to draw 400,000 to Drogheda

Traditional music festival comes to Co Louth town for first time

Zoë Conway and John McIntyre – Live In Concert review: Eclectic mix of gems

Linger review: a gay courtship, Irish dancing and tackling age and identity

Breandán de Gallaí and Nick O’Connell’s show skilfully manages a range of contradictory tensions

JigJam: Oh Boy! | Album Review

Gradam Ceoil showcases the eclectic best of Irish traditional music

From the genius of Máirtín O’Connor and the huge contribution of the Irish Traditional Music Archive to the magpie stylings of Ensemble Ériú, the list of recipients of the annual TG4 awards is impressively diverse

We have lift-off: Irish cultural calendar 2015

A year of Yeats. The return of the Gathering. The zaniness of TedFest. The muckiness of the National Ploughing Championships. The musical magic of Electric Picnic. The spectacular scenery of Earagail Arts Festival. And much more. Consider yourself told