Your Roots Are Showing – Ireland’s Music Conference – opens with an unforgettable night of music. FOLK iN FUSION is the electrifying opening concert that threads together Grammy-winning excellence, deep-rooted artistry, and genre-defying voices in a single, three-hour musical journey. No interval. No filler. Just pure, unfiltered sound early in the new year, 13th to 18 th January at the Waterfront, Belfast. 

The legendary Crystal Gayle

Headlining the night is the legendary Crystal Gayle, the velvet-voiced icon behind “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” With over 20 No.1 country singles and the first platinum album by a female artist in country music (We Must Believe in Magic), Gayle’s legacy is timeless. She’ll also take part in a special “In Conversation” session with NPR’s Ian Saint during the week-long conference.

Trim’s own Paddy Keenan, living legend of the uilleann pipes and founding member of The Bothy Band, who joins the all star lineup for Folk iN Fusion, the landmark opening concert for Your Roots Are Showing, Ireland’s folk, roots and traditional music conference, taking place in Belfast from 13 to 18 January 2026. The festival brings Grammy winners, Irish folk leaders, and international delegates together for a week of performances, workshops, and showcases. 

Keenan will appear alongside Grammy award winning artists such as Crystal Gayle, Rissi Palmer, Ron Block, Clare Sands, David Keenan, and many more. It’s a powerhouse lineup celebrating both Ireland’s musical heritage and its fearless modern voices.

She’s joined by a transatlantic powerhouse lineup: Rissi Palmer – Americana artist and host of Color Me Country, a vital platform for marginalised voices in roots music. Dee White – Rising Nashville songwriter bringing a soulful, vintage-meets-modern Americana flair. Ron Block – Grammy-winning banjoist and bluegrass legend from Alison Krauss & Union Station. Wyatt Ellis – A prodigious mandolinist and one of the most exciting young voices in American folk. Jessica Willis Fisher – Acclaimed singer-songwriter fusing folk, fire, and fearless storytelling.

Tickets are available now via www.showingroots.com