Karan Casey returns to London with a new trio featuring concertina player Niall Vallely and Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu. The collaboration marks a fresh reworking of songs spanning over 30 years of Casey’s career, alongside new material and the first UK outing for this Cork-based project.

Karan Casey Trio in Concert

(featuring Niall Vallely and Niwel Tsumbu)
with support by In Good Company

Saturday 30th May 2026

Kings Place 

Hall Two, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
7.30pm Concert Doors open/ Foyer performance by The Trad Gathering
8pm Concert starts
Tickets: £18 (plus booking fee)

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Plus session in the Rotunda Bar (ground floor, Kings Place) after the concert

A night filled with music and song across three spaces at Kings Place from doors open to bar closing. In concert, the main event…

At its centre is Karan Casey — founder of the Fair Plé movement (2018), established to promote gender equality in traditional and folk music — performing with Niall Vallely and Congolese-born guitarist Niwel Tsumbu in a new trio collaboration. All three are now based in Cork and have been developing material from across Casey’s 30-year repertoire alongside new work, with this marking the first UK outing for the project.

The evening also features In Good Company (30 performers on the night), originally formed as Fair Plé Ladies of London for the first Fair Plé Day at Cadogan Hall in 2018. They will open the evening with a set including two songs by Galway singer Dolores Keane.

Karan Casey

Irish singer-songwriter Karan Casey has been a leading voice in contemporary folk for over 25 years. Known for her interpretations of traditional ballads, love songs and socially conscious material, she has built an international career combining musical storytelling with a strong focus on women’s voices and social themes.

In recent years, Casey has expanded into piano, spoken word and theatre, continuing to evolve her performance style while staying rooted in traditional song.

She has released twelve solo albums and contributed to over 80 recordings, touring extensively across North America, Europe and Japan. Her collaborators include Maura O’Connell, James Taylor, Béla Fleck, The Chieftains, Peggy Seeger, Karen Matheson, Mick Flannery, and Niall Vallely.

In 2018 she co-founded FairPlé, an organisation advocating for gender balance in Irish traditional and folk music. In 2019 she completed a PhD in music at the University of Limerick. Her work spans music and theatre, including I Walked into My Head (Kilkenny Arts Festival, 2021) and collaborations with composer Harry Escott.

Her 2023 album Nine Apples of Gold received critical acclaim, topping Irish and US radio charts and becoming one of the most played folk albums of the year. Her theatre piece The Women We Will Rise premiered at the Everyman Theatre in Cork and later featured at Tradfest and Celtic Connections.

“Karan Casey’s latest album is revelatory…” — Irish Times
“The healing powers of female friendship…” — Irish Times
“Casey is one of the great singers in Irish music…” — Irish Echo
“Casey’s voice is among the loveliest in folk music…” — Boston Globe

www.karancasey.com | [email protected]

Niall Vallely – concertina

Born in Armagh in 1970, Niall Vallely is one of Ireland’s most respected traditional musicians and composers. He has toured worldwide and performed with artists including Nomos, Buille, Karan Casey, Paddy Keenan, Tim O’Brien and Cassandra Wilson.

His compositions appear on over 80 albums, many becoming session standards. He has received commissions from RTÉ, BBC, TG4, Cork Opera House, the Boston Pops Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and others.

Vallely’s work spans solo performance, orchestral writing and large-scale multimedia projects, including Concerto for Concertina and Orchestra (2019), Macha, and 78 Revolutions. He has held residencies at UCC, the National Opera House in Wexford, Dún Laoghaire LexIcon and the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris.

“Technical mastery and genius for improvisation…” — Irish Times
“Buille gives a lie to the false dichotomy of tradition and innovation…” — Irish Times
“A snapshot of a virtuoso at the peak of his power…” — Evening Echo

Niwel Tsumbu – guitar

Niwel Tsumbu is a Congolese-born, Ireland-based guitarist known for his virtuosic and genre-defying style, blending jazz, classical, rock, folk and African traditions.

He has worked with artists including Nigel Kennedy, Steve Cooney, Sinéad O’Connor, Buena Vista Social Club, Baaba Maal, and Rhiannon Giddens (on the Grammy-winning They’re Calling Me Home).

Tsumbu’s playing is defined by rhythmic sophistication, improvisation and a deeply expressive style. He is also in demand as a teacher and educator, with a strong international following for his online performances.

Raised in Kinshasa, he absorbed both Congolese traditional music and Western classical influences, later developing a distinctive guitar voice that has taken him worldwide, from intimate sessions to major international stages.

In Good Company

Formerly Fair Plé Ladies of London, In Good Company is a collective of female traditional Irish musicians based in London. The group first formed for Fair Plé Day at Cadogan Hall in 2018 and has since performed at venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Kings Place.

Each performance draws from a wider collective of over 80 musicians committed to the project, with accompaniment by pianist Pete Quinn.

The Trad Gathering

IMDL’s youth project The Trad Gathering brings together young traditional Irish musicians from across London, led by Karen Ryan and Pete Quinn. Founded in 2008, the group has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Royal Festival Hall and more.

For this event, members will perform tunes from the repertoire of Connemara flute player Marcus Hernon.