8. Irish Festival Berlin: May the harp be with you

The duo Madraí – consisting of Liam Blaney (known from The Voice of Germany) and Chris Cronin – opens this year's festival with captivating songs and tunes.

Also taking part are TG4 Gradam Ceoil – Musician of the Year Laoise Kelly (harp) from Achill and Tola Custy (fiddle) from Ennis, Ireland. The two will be accompanied by Irish Dance Vice European Champion Nicole Ohnesorge and three-time Irish Dance European Champion Gyula Glaser.

The second day of the festival is dedicated to the Irish music and dance scene from Berlin and Germany. Festival co-organizer Hanns Henner-Becker will read from Heinrich Böll's "Irish Diary," accompanied by Bríd Ní Chatháin from Connemara on the harp.

The Four Fellas, a group emerging from the Berlin "session" scene, will be appearing on the festival stage for the first time. The band includes Oisín Kilkenny (vocals, guitar) from East Clare, Kai Sulkowski (concertina), Lorenzo Saracino (flute), and Jakub Jakubowski (banjo).

Traditionally, the festival presents Irish step dance schools from Berlin every year, and this year the Jigs and Reels Irish Dance Academy will be returning with fast-paced and breathtaking dance moves.

Murphy's Law takes the audience on a successful journey to the left, right, and far away from the Emerald Isle, paired with a fast-paced and varied repertoire. The band consists of four professional, full-blooded musicians who combine old and new songs with tasteful, virtuosic, diverse, and passionate elements of folk, pop, rock, country, and blues. Lead singer and entertainer Danny O'Connor (vocals, guitar, songwriter) from Ballyshannon, Ireland; Bernd Lüdtke (fiddle, vocals) from Haida, Brandenburg; Mattis Lehmann (electric bass) from Bremen; and Andreas Richter (drums) from Berlin will make the festival finale a unique musical experience.

Program – Irish Festival Berlin 2025

Friday, August 15, 2025

• 6:00 PM Doors Open
  
• 7:00 PM Madrai – Concert
  
• 8:00 PM Laoise Kelly and Tola Custy – Concert – Nicole Ohnesorge and Gyula Glaser – Dance
  
• 10:00 PM Open Session (indoors)
  

Saturday, August 16, 2025

• 3:30 PM Doors Open
  
• 4:15 PM Hannes Becker – Reading – Bríd Ní Chatáin – Harp
  
• 5:15 PM The Four Fellas – Concert
  
• 6:15 PM Jigs and Reels – Dance
  
• 7:00 PM Murphy's Law – Concert
  
• 9:00 PM Open Session (indoors)