An tOireachtas, an Irish- language festival held at different venues around October, is especially noted for its public competitions of traditional singing in Irish. Many others will be found throught the Internet. Most local public libraries now carry some stock of commercial recordings of traditional music which are available to borrowers. Some libraries specialise in local material. Consult the Directory of Libraries and Information Services in Ireland , 5th ed.
Traditional music is also to be heard fairly frequently on radio, and occasionally on television.
Live and recorded Irish traditional music can also be heard outside Ireland, particularly in centres of Irish settlement in Britain, Australia and the United States, but occasionally too in Germany, France and other countries. Traditional audiences have various criteria by which they judge performances. Only experience will enable you to develop your taste and recognize valuable features in accordance with these traditional 'rules'. No 2 of a series of information leaflets.