Irish singer and bouzouki player Daoiri Farrell set to headline the 2024 Gate To Southwell Festival

Acclaimed Irish singer and bouzouki player Daoirí Farrell is the latest headline name announced for this summer’s highly-anticipated Gate To Southwell Festival.

Dublin-born Daoirí has “the best Irish traditional voice currently around”, according to Folk Radio UK, while the Irish Times celebrates him as the “torch bearer for Irish folk”. Daoirí will perform in a trio on Sunday, July 7 — the last day of the festival, which starts on July 4 — with Kieran Munnelly on flute and tin whistle and Kevin Glackin on fiddle.

Set in a beautiful lakeside location in Kirklington, the family friendly international roots and acoustic music event will also welcome double Grammy and Pulitzer Prize award-winning folk star Rhiannon Giddens — who plays both banjo and violin on Beyonce’s new country hit Texas Hold ‘Em — celebrated Scottish band Manran, traditional Irish music stars The Haar and acclaimed Canadian artists including The Fugitives and singer-songwriters Catherine McClellan and Tara MacLean.

Some stars will be returning to Southwell for the festival, including Ross Wilson aka Blue Rose Code who will perform with his Big Caley Soul Band, and headline act Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening. Kathryn performed at the first GTSF back in 2007.

Plus there’ll be another award-winning Scottish act, An Dannsa Dub, who fuse folk with reggae and dance music.

There’s plenty more to see over the four-day festival, including Americana stars Campbell/Jensen featuring Glen Campbell’s daughter Ashley, Sheffield’s folk supergroup the Melrose Quartet — Nancy Kerr, James Fagan and Jess and Richard Arrowsmith — Gambian kora player and percussionist Suntou Susso, and Australian sister duo Charm of Finches.

July 4 will also be marked by The Great American Songbook on the Folk Stage.

This year’s festival will also pay tribute to one of the greatest pioneering American singer-songwriters, Woody Guthrie.

In 2019, award-winning English folk troubadour Reg Meuross was commissioned to create the song cycle Fire and Dust in tandem with Welsh piano player and accordionist Geraint Watkins, highlighting themes such as racism, bigotry, corruption and inequality that Woody challenged.

Reg Meuross — with kora master Suntou Susso and concertina wizard Colin Braithwaite-Kilcoyne — will also be performing Stolen from God at the festival, which tackles England’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.

Family events at the festival will include improvised silliness from Dan The Hat, spectacular tricks from the Fit Up Street Circus, Becky Bops — led by children’s festival coordinator and folk singer Becky Syson —storytelling from Mark Fraser of Walk The Lines, music workshops and ceilidh, family yoga, festival fairies, arts and crafts by Made Of Leaves, face painting, multi-sensory activities from Soul Sensory, outdoor games with Shindigs of Sherwood and music entertainment from Paul Carbuncle.