Rhi McPhelimNot having had the pleasure of attending the Fleadh in Belfast last month, I was delighted to see posters for the Dublin City Fleadh 2026 scattered across the capital’s bus stops, notice boards and Facebook groups alike.
From seasoned Irish traditional groups to more contemporary bands that are tearing up the gig circuit, the line-up was certainly one thing: Diverse.
Though I wasn’t able to attend Saturday’s shindigs, Sunday’s line-up had instantly stood out to me. Two contemporary Irish giants of folk-fusion were on the bill at Smithfield Square: Madra Salach and The Scratch. Two bands I ashamedly had not seen live yet.
Scoping out the scene
After bidding farewell to a friend in the city centre on Sunday afternoon, I hopped on the Luas and arrived in Smithfield to the sound of Kíla bursting out a high-octane finale. Capturing the last few minutes of their glorious finish, I wished I had arrived sooner. However, sauntering in just as the changeover happened proved to be a blessing in disguise.
As the Kíla crowd moved off surprisingly prompt, I quickly found my way up to the left of the stage’s barrier. At a prime viewing spot, a friend made their way through the crowd to join me, taking advantage of being right on the front line of the buzz.
Between glimpses of the Madra Salach boys hauling up their gear on one side of the stage, The Scratch’s Daniel ‘Lango’ Lang greeting a few faces on the other, and seeing some young fans to my left waiting patiently as the sun shone overhead, it was clear we were all in for a treat.
As Lango later mentions during The Scratch’s set, this was likely the first opportunity for both them and Madra Salach to perform to an all ages crowd. Certainly an unforgettable first live music experience for some!
Madra Salach
After a slight delay in kick-off, Madra Salach started strong.
For those not yet acquainted with the band, they are a six-piece group from Dublin and further afield. Paul Banks fronts on vocals, with Jack Lawor on bass, Maxime Arnold on harmonium, Adam Cullen on guitar, Jack Martin on tin-whistle, mandolin and synths and Dara Duffy on drums.
Having gigged around Ireland for a solid year or so to build old-fashioned word-of-mouth buzz before releasing any music (physically or digitally), their approach worked well. They built high anticipation before the release of their debut EP in January, titled It’s A Hell Of An Age.
Playing songs from this EP and a few unrecognised tunes, they also performed one particularly special piece of work: A song that will soon be found on the upcoming Shane McGowan homage album, 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan. Out on November 13th, it is tipped as a star-studded collection that will warmly honour The Pogues frontman.
Between a few special moments of banter; (honorary mention to Jack Martin’s FLEADH acronym segment); emotion (Maxime Arnold’s ‘Free Palestine’ flag was the first piece of gear put out on his stand); and sincerity (a polite ‘thank you’ from Paul Banks after every song), a Madra Salach show comes with a strong recommendation. It’s also a reminder to tune into hype, or you will miss out on the early days of some of this country’s most promising new acts.
The Scratch
Though The Scratch’s set was soon to follow, I moved from my prime position to give other eager fans the spot. But more so because at five-foot-three on a good day, I am not one for the moshpit.
As the audience waited patiently, a confusing yet nevertheless fun playlist of 80s and 90s pop and disco favourites blared. Not a note of The Chieftains, The Dubliners, The Clancy Brothers, Clannad or even Horslips to be heard. It did make for a good physical warmup, though not so much in the headbanging department.
Still beaming at the opportunity to catch a second great band for free in the one location, The Scratch suddenly appeared. Treating us to many of their top favourites (“Pull Like A Dog”, “Cheeky Bastard”, “Old Dog” and more), it didn’t take long before the first crowd surfer appeared. After finding photos a number of hours later, I deciphered him to be Jonny Pickett from DUG (to be confirmed…).
With no lack of headbanging, stomping and moshing throughout, the band concluded their set with the beloved “Another Round”. It is non-surprisingly the song that tops their Spotify profile at nearly four million streams. It seemed only fitting that the last show at Smithfield Square for this Dublin City Fleadh 2026 ended in a hardcore singsong of the single’s opening melody.
Assumedly meeting the crowd’s expectations (though I imagine there were a few Altan and Dervish fans who didn’t quite know what they were in for), a live show from The Scratch also comes with a high recommendation. Though, the band were somewhat a daring choice for a Fleadh line-up, as they draw more from hard rock and metal than they do Irish traditional music.
Closing
Overall, Sunday at Dublin City Fleadh 2026 and its diverse line-up went down a treat. Dublin City Council have big shoes to fill for 2027’s agenda.
