Dr Úna Monaghan’s article ‘121 Stories: The impact of gender on participation in Irish traditional music’ was published in the journal Ethnomusicology Ireland in 2021. Her research demonstrates that the mechanisms and structures of the Irish traditional music scene continue to privilege the contribution of men.
We hope to discuss what the next steps might be and what, if anything, is beginning to change in Ireland and Scotland, since the 121 anonymous responses were received in 2018.
Úna Monaghan is a harper, composer, researcher and sound artist from Belfast. Her recent work has combined traditional music with bronze sculpture, sound art and movement sensors. Her compositions have been presented on BBC and RTÉ television and radio, and in theatre productions, festivals and conferences internationally. She performs with harp and computer, and released an album of her compositions for Irish harp and electronics, named “For” in 2018.
Úna has held artist residencies at the Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, the Institute for the Public Life of Arts and Ideas Montréal, and the Future Music Lab at the Atlantic Music Festival, Maine, USA. Úna also works as a sound engineer specialising in Irish traditional music, and experimental, live electronic and multichannel music, a role in which she travels worldwide.
Úna gained a PhD from the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast in 2015 and held the Rosamund Harding Research Fellowship in Music at Newnham College, University of Cambridge from 2016-2019. Her research examines the intersections between Irish traditional music, experimental music practices, improvisation and interactive technologies. In 2019 she received the inaugural Liam O’Flynn Award from the Arts Council of Ireland and the National Concert Hall, Dublin.
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Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!A popular feature of the Traverse programme, A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Òran Mór returns for 2024.
READ MOREFollowing on from their sell our shows in 2023, the Tandem Writers are back with a series of three individual 45-minute play readings expanding on their previous stories.
READ MOREFollowing a sold-out, Fringe-First winning run at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival, “This Is Memorial Device”, based on David Keenan’s cult novel, returns to the Traverse Theatre in April.
READ MORESoundhouse returns to Traverse One with a unique performance from one of contemporary jazz’s most inspired musical pairings: Scottish saxophonist Laura Macdonald and pianist Zoe Rahman.
READ MOREOpening this year’s Festival on Friday 3 May will be Daniel Docherty and Martyn MacDonald whose band VALTOS has taken the trad and electronic music world by storm.
READ MOREJoin us on 3rd May at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in celebration to launch FISHING, our May exhibition with an early evening session of songs from harmony singers Tripple.
READ MOREFISHING is a modern exploration of contemporary identities and heritage from artist Stephanïe Vandëm at the Scottish Storytelling Centre from 3rd May!
READ MOREAlice Howe & Freebo present a unique study in contrasts, bringing together a rising voice in Americana music and a venerable rock, folk, and blues icon.
READ MOREThrough powerful and playful storytelling and traditional song, Shona Cowie, Neil Sutcliffe and dramaturg Liam Hurley explore the layers of history on which we stand today!
READ MOREDon't miss Martin Simpson, one of the finest ever acoustic and slide guitar players, and a fine banjo-picker to boot, when he comes to the Traverse Theatre as part of Tradfest!
READ MOREA chance to hear from artist Stephanïe Vandëm, whose exhibition FISHING is showing at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of Tradfest!
READ MOREEdinburgh Youth Gaitherin is back, providing an exciting opportunity for young musicians aged between 13 and 18, keen to develop your instrument skills.
READ MOREA mesmerising glimpse into the landscapes, folktales and songs that inspired one of Scotland's great early collectors of traditional arts.
READ MOREJoin us at Scottish Storytelling Centre on 5th May for a fun morning of mask decoration, crafting and face painting ahead of the May Day Parade!
READ MOREArtists, performers and culture workers of all kinds are called to join Tradfest musicians and mummers on the Edinburgh and Lothians May Day procession.
READ MOREThis delightful Beltane Fire Society tradition allows parents to share in the magic of the Beltane story with their little ones through storytelling, face painting and arts & crafts.
READ MORESinger, harpist and composer Rachel Newton draws on poems and ballads that are hundreds of years old to create a rich sound that is ambitious, original and unique.
READ MOREDon't miss gorgeously multilayered Scandi tones and textures from Nordic Fiddlers Bloc at the Traverse Theatre as part of Tradfest!
READ MOREJoin Susi Briggs for stories in the cosy Storytelling Court to celebrate the launch of her new book Yum, illustrated by Charlotte Brayley and published by Foggie Toddle Books.
READ MOREWe are delighted to welcome Simon Bradley, one of Scotland’s master musicians, to Edinburgh Tradfest and his equally-accomplished band members Anna-Wendy Stevenson and Michael Bryan!
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READ MOREWelsh storyteller Milly Jackdaw presents a fusion of traditional storytelling, physical theatre, music and ceremony in this solo performance based on the life of Myrddin.
READ MOREWinner of the 2023 Christian Raphael Prize, Frankie Archer has exploded onto the electrofolk scene with music that transcends stereotypes. Catch her at the Traverse Theatre as part of Tradfest!
READ MOREThis event opens a window on the life and work of Emily Dickinson and the passions and preoccupations which she poured into her writing.
READ MOREOne of Scotland’s most exciting innovators, Malin Lewis melds west coast tradition with a newly invented, self-made bagpipe!
READ MORENorman&Corrie, the Scottish musical duo bring beautiful interpretations of old music that are genuinely contemporary.
READ MOREWelcome to an eclectic night of ancient myth, contemporary storytelling, post-folk music, and physical artistry at the Scottish Storytelling Centre as part of Tradfest.
READ MORERenowned Gaelic and Scots singer and fiddler, Evie Waddell, plays the Traverse 2 on 10th May as part of Tradfest!
READ MOREJoin us at the Scottish Storytelling Centre for a very special evening of music from two of Finland’s most visionary musicians!
READ MORETogether, Simon Thoumire and Dave Milligan create dazzling, quirky arrangements of reels, jigs, strathspeys, and airs from their native Scottish tradition, and beyond.
READ MOREThis workshop with Svend-Erik Engh is for musicians who want to be better storytellers on stage!
READ MOREJoin mad auld Auntie Bee and her long-suffering niece Bonnie McRee on a tour of Auld Reekie, past and present, real and imagined, without leaving the cosy Storytelling Court!
READ MOREBy reimagining old tales from Lithuania and around the world, storyteller Daiva Ivanauskaitė and musician Gaynor Barradell explore the silence between generations.
READ MORECome with family and friends to dance Scottish dances and sing well-known songs with the Minnow Ceilidh Band at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 12th May!
READ MOREClare Sands is a sixth generation fiddler and bilingual singer from Cork, weaving traditional roots with contemporary sounds and influences, embodying a fearless warrior-like spirit!
READ MOREBerwickshire Coastal Arts bring you a reflection of what it means to live, and want to live, in a coastal community.
READ MOREEdinburgh Tradfest & The Soundhouse Organisation presents Julie Fowlis at the Assembly Rooms on Monday 13th May!
READ MOREBAFTA award-winning star of Scot Squad and Absolutely, Jack Docherty brings his critically-acclaimed show David Bowie & Me to the Traverse Theatre in May!
READ MOREDead Girls Rising is a furious coming-of-age punk cabaret show about trying to survive in a violent patriarchy, our deepest fears, and how we seek to control them.
READ MOREShō and the Demons of the Deep by Zoë Bullock is a visual adventure story about overcoming fear, climate crisis and how the actions of one generation can affect the next.
READ MOREBy Trial and Error is a delightful show of acrobatic lifts, full of humour borrowed from burlesque and silent cinema.
READ MOREThis is a charming and moving story that sensitively explores sibling loss, An Ant Called Amy tells the tale of an ant who learns to slow down.
READ MORECaught by the Nazis distributing forbidden leaflets, Sophie Scholl is facing execution. Only one route remains: confession and betrayal of everything she stood for… but will she take it?
READ MOREFrom the team that created the multi award winning productions Shackleton and the Third Policeman, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company bring their newest devised piece, The Last Pearl.
READ MOREMaggie & Me, Damian Barr's award-winning and darkly witty memoir about growing up gay in Thatcher's Britain comes to the Traverse Theatre in June!
READ MOREJoin The White Heather Ceilidh Club for a bonnie (and wild!) evening of Scottish Ceilidh Dancing in the heart of Edinburgh!
READ MOREJoin us in the wee hours in The Comedy Attic in Edinburgh, where every weekend we deliver nights packed full of unadulterated comedy mayhem!
READ MORECome along to the Costume Society Scotland's season of varied talks on fashion, costume, textiles, accessories and related subjects between between October and April at Augustine United Church!
READ MOREThe Joke Gym ia a stand-up comedy night featuring fresh material from new and established acts, hosted by Julia Sutherland or Viv Gee, at Leith Depot!
READ MOREActor, writer and tour guide Alex Staniforth invents a horror story every night. You decide what the characters do, find and sometimes - yes sometimes - even love!
READ MOREJoin us from 9pm-late every Thursday at Bar 50 for Cowgate's best karaoke night and try your luck for the chance to win a £5 bar voucher!
READ MORECome and experience Scottish dance the way its meant to be every Tuesday at the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club in Summerhall!
READ MORETalk about doing what it says on the tin! Here you go a carload of simply the best comics on the contemporary Scottish circuit.
READ MORECome and experience Scottish dance the way its meant to be every month at the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club at the Assembly Roxy!
READ MORE