Cailini Lua feature The Mail March 2026

The Girls from Killaloe: Ireland’s Unlikely Diplomats

As global tensions rise, soft power matters more than ever. From Shanghai to America, Cailíní Lua are proving that Irish traditional music might be one of our most effective diplomatic tools.

Long before official visits and trade delegations, Ireland practised a quieter kind of diplomacy. Songs were passed hand to hand in back rooms, tunes travelled across borders without passports, and sessions did more to connect people than any press release ever could. In a world that feels increasingly fractured geopolitically, culturally and emotionally, that kind of cultural exchange matters more than ever.

As relationships between global heavyweights like China, the US and Europe grow increasingly complex, it is often culture, not politics, that keeps conversations open. And right now, four young trad musicians from Killaloe, Co. Clare, are finding themselves, almost by accident, on that cultural front line.

Cailíní Lua may not look like diplomats, but they are quietly hitting the right notes in unexpected places. From packed American venues to grand ballrooms in Shanghai, their brand of Irish traditional music is doing what music has always done best: bringing people together, getting them on their feet, and reminding them of shared joy in an age of division.

Being Irish and successful on the global stage is becoming increasingly familiar. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal dominate awards ceremonies, Simone Rocha and Jonathan Anderson are reshaping fashion, and Fontaines D.C. and Kneecap command festival crowds worldwide. Even speaking Irish has become aspirational, with TikTok creators racking up hundreds of thousands of followers by doing just that.

So imagine the electricity when you bring together four super-glam, Irish-speaking trad musicians and put them in one band. The trad scene just got turbo-charged.

But it wasn’t always this way. For years, Eibhlín Gallagher (21), Tara Brady (24), and sisters Laura (24) and Katie Donoghue (25) were slipping out of birthday parties early or missing weekends away entirely, tied up instead in music lessons, rehearsals, dance competitions and endless practice sessions.

“When we were growing up, Irish music definitely wasn’t cool,” says Eibhlín. “We were missing all the parties and the craic because we were practising dancing and playing instruments. We’d have classes every evening after school.”

At the time, it felt like sacrifice. Now, it feels like momentum.

All four grew up during a period when traditional music and dance sat firmly outside the mainstream. There were no viral trad clips, no glossy folk-crossover tours, and no sense that this world would suddenly open up.

“When we were younger, it felt like we were going against the grain,” says Tara. “Irish music wasn’t something you did to be cool. But now we’re laughing because it really stood to us. All those years of missing the craic are paying off, and we get to travel the world doing what we love.”

They have watched the shift happen in real time. Trad sessions are now packed with young people, Irish-language content racks up views online, and audiences around the world actively seek out traditional music as Irish culture enjoys a global revival.

Cailíní Lua are emerging as one of the most refreshing new faces of that movement. Inspired by everyone from The Corrs to Kneecap, their sound and style are far removed from the expected image of a traditional trad band.

“We really focus on the inclusive elements of Irish trad and folk music,” explains Laura. “Certain dances get the audience properly involved, and that’s what Cailíní Lua is all about. Everyone loves getting up and dancing.”

That sense of joy and inclusion has travelled far, particularly to places where Ireland’s cultural reach might seem unlikely.

In 2025, the band was invited by the Irish Chamber of Commerce to perform at its St Patrick’s Day Ball in Shanghai, after organisers came across their videos on Instagram. While there, they performed across the city, including at The Flying Fox (run by Irishman Graeme Allen) and at Shanghai American School.

“Along with the music, we talked about different types of Irish tunes and the difference between Irish and sean-nós dancing, and we taught pupils how to do Shoe the Donkey,” says Eibhlín. “They absolutely loved it.”

The warmth of the response took them by surprise.

“At the St Patrick’s Day Ball there was such a mix of Irish, Chinese and international guests,” she says. “They were up dancing almost straight away. It made it great fun to play.”

One unplanned moment captured that exchange perfectly. On the way to the airport, their taxi driver asked if they knew an Irish song.

“So we sang Bean Pháidín in the back of the car,” says Katie. “Eibhlín filmed it on a whim; we threw it online, and suddenly it had taken off.”

The clip racked up nearly half a million views, was shared by LadBible Ireland, and earned a mention on RTÉ Radio the following morning. Not bad for a taxi sing-song. The band returns to Shanghai again this March for a major show.

Cailíní Lua don’t frame themselves as cultural ambassadors, but in practice that’s exactly what they’ve become. Their gigs abroad aren’t just performances; they’re introductions to Irish language, humour and warmth. In cities like Shanghai, where Ireland can feel distant or abstract, the connection becomes immediate and human.

If diplomacy is about keeping relationships in tune, these girls are already playing their part with fiddles and four-part harmonies.

Back home, all four balance music with demanding academic careers. Three are teachers: Eibhlín is fully qualified, with two finishing their master's, while Tara is a historian working for a heritage company specialising in Irish revolutionary history.

“Having our degrees has opened up more avenues,” says Tara. “Our parents are delighted to see us doing what we love, but they’re also really proud that we finished college.”

The balance isn’t always easy.

“When we’re doing international gigs, we’re still working, finishing reports and assignments,” she says. “But we support each other. It’s hard, but we’ve managed to do both.”

Their parents, they say, laid the groundwork long before the flights and festivals.

“Our parents spent years driving us to dance classes and singing lessons, spending weekends at competitions and fleadhs,” says Katie. “They’re thrilled to see us living the dream now, especially after supporting all those traditional cultural things throughout our childhoods.”

If their training is traditional, their image certainly isn’t.

“We’ve walked into venues, and they’ve said, ‘What!' You’re the trad band?’” Laura laughs. “They expect old men with beards. Not four girls in minis with glossy hair and golden tans.”

They don’t shy away from the contrast.

“We love dressing up and looking glamorous because it’s not just an image,” adds Tara. “It’s really us.”

All four are clear-eyed about the realities of building a life in music. Degrees weren’t a backup plan; they were always part of the mix.

“There’s a misconception that trad is a small world,” says Katie. “But there’s a whole ecosystem now with teaching, heritage, tourism, performance and media sectors. Education gives you options inside that world.”

Tara’s work in Irish revolutionary history feeds directly into how she thinks about culture and language. Eibhlín has been awarded a scholarship to promote Gaeilge and completed a mentorship programme to become an Irish-language activist. “If we can show through our style and music that Irish culture and the Irish language are vibrant and relevant,” Eibhlín says, “then we’re doing something right.”

Gaeilge also plays a practical role on the road.

“Half the time it connects us,” Laura laughs. “And half the time it’s handy when we need to talk privately.”

For all the travel, the biggest milestones are still close to home. Live television appearances on RTÉ and TG4 have already been ticked off, but one ambition looms large.

“Our dream is to appear together on The Late Late Show,” they admit. “We imagine all our parents watching. That would probably mean more to them than anything.”

They talk about writing something special for the occasion. Beyond that, there are plans to expand their original material, become a full-time band, and play stages they once only watched from afar.

“Hyde Park,” says Tara, without hesitation. “We remember seeing The Corrs perform there. That moment really stayed with us.”

In a world marked by political and cultural tension, Irish music continues to cut cleanly across borders. Whether in China, the US or Europe, Cailíní Lua are finding that trad still translates and that people everywhere want in.

From Killaloe to Shanghai, these four women are already laying foundations, building bridges one tune at a time, and keeping Irish culture very much in tune with the world.

• Cailíní Lua tour Shanghai from March 13 to 17.