Article

Carnage at the Trisco: an Ethnographic Account of the Trad Disco at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann

Pamela Cotter

Published in: Ethnomusicology Ireland 8 (2022)

Pages: 62-84 | Published Online: December 2022

https://doi.org/10.64208/JZNM1193

Abstract

The Irish traditional music festival Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is a multidimensional social space comprising many different participatory sites, including the popular Trad Disco. Described by participants as a site of madness, carnage, and debauchery, this paper uses a historical and ethnographic account of the Trad Disco to examine its constitution as a site of festivity and its place in the overall Fleadh context. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork from 2016 to 2018, it explores the site in terms of its musical style, participants, and festive behaviours as prescribed by the site itself. While the Trad Disco may contrast with other Fleadh sites, it engenders its own community of practice and forms an important part of the Fleadh experience for many. Besides being a point of intersection for Fleadh participants, the Trad Disco offers an alternative engagement possibility, demonstrating the Fleadh’s ability to cultivate a programme that appeals to a diverse audience, thereby uniting a myriad of participants into one Fleadh community.

Keywords: Irish traditional music, Trad Disco, Fleadh, festival, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

Author: Pamela Cotter