Irish banjo player and singer Maggie Carty returns to Canberra for a special solo performance at Smith’s Alternative on Thursday, 28 August, launching her debut album Ebb and Flow as part of a national tour supported by Culture Ireland.
Born in County Roscommon and now based in Naarm/Melbourne, Maggie is a fourth-generation musician known for her raw, rhythmic banjo style and soulful, expressive vocals. Her sound is rooted in Irish traditional music but enriched by Australian and Americana folk influences, offering a fresh, cross-cultural take on songs that speak to identity, movement, and memory.
Maggie last performed at Smith’s Alternative in 2018 with her father, renowned fiddler John Carty, and returned to the region for the National Folk Festival in 2021. Now, she steps into the spotlight with her own voice and vision — a powerful blend of ballads, tunes, and reimagined tradition drawn from her debut album.
Ebb and Flow is a deeply personal collection exploring emigration, cultural legacy, and what it means to honour tradition without being confined by it. Maggie’s arrangements are bold yet tender, weaving banjo, voice, and narrative into performances that feel both timeless and urgent.
This performance is part of Ebb and Flow: Songlines of the Diaspora, Maggie’s national Australian tour supported by Culture Ireland. Spanning every state and territory between August and October 2025, the tour invites audiences to experience Irish folk music in a new light.
Join Maggie for an unforgettable night of traditional songs, reimagined through banjo, voice, and story, in a cozy, welcoming setting.
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