THERE’S a huge treat in store for the people of Westport this week, as the town welcomes Ireland’s Hardest Touring Trad Group, Gráda, for a one-night concert in Matt Molloy’s. Tomorrow night (Wednesday), Gráda will hit the stage in the Westport venue for a night of craic agus ceol.

In conjunction with the launch of their new album, ‘Cloudy Day Navigation’, Gráda have just completed an eight-month tour of the world, visiting 20 countries over the past year including the US, UK, Australia, Europe, Japan and Scandinavia. They have now returned from their sell-out 20-date tour of New Zealand for a major Irish tour to promote their new album.

The band’s lead vocalist, bodhrán and fiddle player, Nicola Joyce, hails from none-other than Cloughanover, just outside Headford in North Galway and needless to say, the popular and hugely-talented 26-year-old is looking forward to spending some time back on home ground. After completing her second-level education in the Presentation College in Headford, Nicola originally studied and worked as a music teacher.

However, after spending some time in the classroom, the world beckoned and Nicola left the life of a schoolteacher for life on the road as a famous musician.

Gráda present a modern ‘nu-folk’ twist on traditional Irish music with their new album, which reflects the band’s nomadic life and constant worldwide touring. A young and unique Irish trad group (aged 26 to 32), Gráda have become renowned for their energetic, pulsating and unique live set - an experience that brings people coming back to see them again and again.

Speaking to the Western People, Cloughanover’s Nicola Joyce explained that there is huge support for Irish bands worldwide, particularly in the US.

“People came to see Gráda initially to see an Irish band, now they are coming back to see us, to see Gráda specifically.

“Our music and gigs are very different from what immediately comes to mind when you think of traditional Irish music,” Nicola pointed out.

The band come from very diverse backgrounds and it is possibly the combination of the talents and experiences of all five band-members that makes their band such a success on the international scene.

New Zealand’s best-known music critic Nick Bollinger, after seeing Gráda, noted, “Irish music doesn’t get any better than this!”

Two of the band’s members, Andrew Laking (double bass) and Gerry Paul (guitar), hail from New Zealand, while Alan Doherty (flautist and vocalist) is from Tallaght. Nicola is from Cloughanover, and then Colin Farrell, on fiddle and whistle, hails from Manchester.