World class performers Collister & Fix to appear at Ropery Hall

Dublin singer and bouzouki player Daoirí Farrell burst on to the international folk music scene with two prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2017 for Best Newcomer and Best Traditional Track, performing live at the awards ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall. His breakthrough album, ‘True Born Irishman’, released the previous year, introduced him as a remarkable new voice in Irish traditional music.

Folk Radio UK/KLOF said of Daoirí, ‘He has the best Irish traditional voice currently around; if there’s better, I’ve yet to hear it.’

He has gone on to perform across the world, be hailed by the greats of Irish folk music, receive numerous nominations in Ireland’s RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, tour the UK with the Transatlantic Sessions and the USA as guest vocalist for Lúnasa and even sing on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme.

In 2027 the Tonkünstler Orchestra and Daoirí will perform songs and tunes from Daoirí’s catalogue, arranged by Gast Waltzing, in The Musikverein in Vienna.

‘His powerfully unadorned vocals might be from any era, variously recalling Paul Brady and Andy Irvine…it’s a powerful statement.’ **** Mojo

Hope & Social and their blue-jacketed joyousness returns in 2026 with their trademark life affirming show to win over the hearts and minds of gig-goers across the land. Hope and Social gigs are an emotional rollercoaster mix of chaos and superlative musicianship, built on some of the finest songs you’ll ever hear, and garnished with generous portion of Northern, self-deprecating humour. With a 3-piece horn section and 5-part harmonies, Hope and Social make a massive sound that draws influence from soul, indie, folk, disco and art rock. You’ll sing, you’ll dance, you’ll smile so much your face will hurt.

Continually striving to be the best band you’ll ever hear, playing its bloody socks off. Think Dexys. Think The Hold Steady. Bowie meets Bruce and the E Street Band. Think the grooviest, funnest bar band you can imagine!

The last 16 years have seen the boys in blue tour extensively around the U.K garnering the praise of many a fan, fans-to-be, and critics on the way. From folk clubs in the deepest south of England to the cavernous Leeds Arena. No stranger to the festival circuit, H&S have chalked up an impressive list of UK appearances including Glastonbury, Durham Brass, Yorkshire Festival, Moonbeams, Deershed, Just So Festival, Greenbelt and the Piece Hall, Halifax… not to mention shows as far afield as Georgia, and Kazakhstan.

Hope and Social aren’t just about gigs. As part of their mission to involve people in most everything they do, they’ve completed a huge number of ridiculous projects and events involving dozens, hundreds and now thousands of people in what they do. Teaching thousands of people how to play with them at shows the nation over, a wine bottle orchestra, the world’s biggest Christmas dinner made from food earmarked as food waste, a big-band show, immersive art installations, fan fuelled music videos, 12 shows in a day… they’ve done it all.

Discover the wildlife found only in Britain   

Giant Pandas are only found in China. Lemurs only live in Madagascar. But what about the species found only in Britain?

Join naturalist and author James Harding-Morris on a journey across the length and breadth of Britain to meet our remarkable endemics – the species that exist nowhere else on Earth.

From the wild isles of Orkney, home to the elusive Orkney Vole, to suburban Plymouth, where the Horrid Ground-weaver teeters on the brink of extinction, we’ll encounter the full spectrum of Britain’s unique wildlife. Along the way, we’ll meet alien fungi in Norfolk, hunt for ghostly cave shrimp in Devon, and follow the extraordinary tale of Interrupted Brome, a grass that has gone extinct not once, but twice.

And at the end, we’ll confront a pressing question: if these species are truly irreplaceable, why aren’t they our number one conservation priority?

James’ book Endemic can be bought anywhere books are sold.

This performance is part of our Members’ 241 Offer. Please ask for details.

Three Voices go big!

All the gang provide a whole range of music, poetry and story – mostly with a theme of music.

Foghorn Stringband is the present-day gold standard for real-deal hard-hitting genuine old-time American string band music, with nine albums, thousands of shows, more than 15 years of touring under their belts, and an entirely new generation of roots musicians following their lead.

Old time dance tunes rub shoulders with Cajun waltzes, vintage honky-tonk country, and classic bluegrass….and it’s all rendered into a cohesive whole. Foghorn Stringband can often be found after a performance in a local pub or club continuing to play with equal energy and joy late into the night. They’re obsessed, and that obsession rings true with every note they play and every song they sing.

In performance, Foghorn Stringband gathers around one microphone, balancing their music on the fly, and playing with an intense, fiery abandon. To the band, this music is as relevant today as it was at its birth a century ago.

Foghorn Stringband comprises four master performers and historians: Caleb Klauder (vocals, mandolin, fiddle) from Orcas Island, Washington, Reeb Willms (vocals, guitar) from rural Farmer, Washington,  Nadine Landry (vocals, upright bass) from the Gaspé Coast, Eastern Quebec and Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind (vocals, fiddle, banjo) from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Portland’s Foghorn String Band stands at the top of today’s vibrant old-time music revival and a fine example of what an unending revival it is. Each album finds them deeper into the tradition, more familiar with the rich resources of roots music, and more focused, but still propelled by that undercurrent of punk energy.” – Art Menius, WMMT

Ruth Notman is a folk singer/songwriter from Nottingham who is, most notably, known for being one of the leading ‘nu-folk revivalists’ in the late 00s who bridged folk music into the 21st Century and plugged it into a mainstream audience.

Ruth first rocketed into the consciousness of the wider music scene in 2007 at 18 years old with her debut album, Threads. Notman’s unique voice coupled with her novel and vibrant interpretation of folk songs garnered her overnight national critical acclaim and media attention seldom seen by a small independent release. Threads also gained Notman support from luminaries such as BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris, Kate Rusby and Mike Harding to name a few.

Ruth further cemented her musical stature and identity with extensive touring and the release of her second album, The Life of Lilly (2009), which enjoyed similar accolades to her debut.

In 2015, Notman was invited to join the impressive collaborative artist roster of the Evamore project where her studio contributions and stunning vocal compositions attracted the late Sinead O’Connor. The song One More Yard was released in 2019 and featured Ronnie Wood, Nick Mason and Imelda May.

Notman teamed up with BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winning artist Sam Kelly in 2019 to record their album Changeable Heart with Kate Rusby’s label, Pure Records.

Now, 16 years after her second album, Ruth is preparing to record, what must surely be, the most eagerly awaited album in British folk music.