Always a musical highlight of the Winter, Transatlantic Sessions returns for 2026, continuing to explore and celebrate the rich musical traditions that connect Scotland, Ireland and the US. With its roots as an award-winning TV series and an annual focal point of Celtic Connections, the exclusive line-up combines guest singers and a stellar house band, inviting them to interweave original material with age-old tunes and songs as they explore shared roots and find new common ground between today’s finest celtic and americana musicians.
Featured vocalists include Grammy-winning country, bluegrass, and folk music artist Kathy Mattea and Darrell Scott, one of Nashville’s finest multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriters and a Lifetime Achievement Award inductee at the Americana Music Association’s Awards 2025. Also featured is Scottish folk singer Karine Polwart, fast becoming a national treasure with her recent body of work that includes “Looking for the Thread”, her 2025 collaborative album with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Julie Fowlis. Joining them, from West Kerry in Ireland, is the spellbinding voice of multi-award-winning singer Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, described by The Irish Times as “One of the earthiest and most distinctive voices, not just in traditional circles, but anywhere”.
The show’s seasoned house band, guided as ever by Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, includes renowned celtic and americana roots musicians John Doyle, Michael McGoldrick, Tatiana Hargreaves & Allison de Groot, John McCusker, Donald Shaw, James Mackintosh and Daniel Kimbro.
The tour dates, which have been on sale for several months, are listed below. Contact the venue for tickets.
Transatlantic Sessions 2026 Tour Dates:
31-Jan, Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
01-Feb, Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
02-Feb, Edinburgh, Usher Hall
03-Feb, Manchester, Aviva Studios
04-Feb, Gateshead, The Glasshouse
05-Feb, Birmingham, Symphony Hall
06-Feb, London, Royal Festival Hall
07-Feb, Brighton, Dome
08-Feb, Oxford, New Theatre
