Folk and Traditional Music

Our society aims to foster and promote Folk and Traditional music in St Andrews and beyond.

While our members' backgrounds and local environment give us a particular focus on the Scottish and Irish traditions, we welcome music from cultures around the world and are always looking for members to introduce us to their own traditions. Our society has strong ties to the wider folk music community through our larger events (festivals and concerts) which attract attendees from across and outwith the country - both students and non-students.

Our members can also often be found in the local session in the Whey Pat tavern on a Tuesday evening! We also run a tune session in Molly Malone's every Sunday at 8pm, and open-mics – open to members and non-members alike – which aim to encourage and promote student musicians. Every two weeks we run a tune-teaching class called big band, where a member of the society will teach tunes by ear, preserving the aural tradition of passing down music without a physical copy.

We have larger events roughly once a semester, including our annual Folk Festival (USAFF) and concerts from leading names in folk music (recent acts include East Pointers, Eabhal, Hannah Rarity, and the McGoldrick McCusker Doyle trio). These events are not limited to musicians – we welcome members who are interested in all aspects of folk music or those who simply want to expand their musical horizons.

Society membership is £5 per year and includes discounts to all of our ticketed events and unlimited access to Big Band and social events. Folk and Trad is a welcoming and friendly society and we are always delighted to welcome new members!

If all this wasn't enough to tempt you, we were also voted the University's Best Society 2020. So come and join us, and don't forget to check out our social media pages for more info on what we do and to keep up with our virtual activities.