Trad
Shóna McAnally is a talented young fiddle player who has grown increasingly frustrated with her mother’s insistence on adhering to the traditions of Irish music and performance. When she meets a group of free-spirited nomadic musicians, she decides to leave home and join their troupe - setting off on a journey of self-reflection, rebellion, romance and musical discovery.
The new film from Lance Daly (Kisses, Black ‘47) is a lively coming-of-age comedy drama that’s also a joyful celebration of the power of trad music and communal performance. It features excellent performances from its young stars Megan Nic Fhionnghaile and Cathal Coade Palmer, alongside strong supporting turns from familiar faces such as Aidan Gillen and Sarah Greene.
Festivals:
Galway Film Fleadh 2025
Awards:
Winner - Audience Award, Galway Film Fleadh, 2025
‘One of the most enjoyable movies released so far this year, Irish or otherwise… The music, via a number of jams and sessions, is toe-tappingly brilliant.’
★★★★★ Declan Burke, Irish Examiner
‘Ultimately what sells Trad are the music sequences… Few recent fiction films have thumped along so convincingly to the louder beats of the traditional form.’
Donald Clarke, The Irish Times




